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VASSILI  VERESTCHAGIN. 


REVISED  EDITION 


VASSILl  VERESTCHAGIN 

PAINTER,  SOLDIER,  TRAVELER 


AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  AND  THE  FRENCH 
BY 

F.  H.  PETERS,  M.A 

FELLOW  OF  UNIVERSITY  COLLEGE,  OXFORD 


With  Illustrations 
After  Drawings  by  the  Author 


NEW  YORK 

THE  AMERICAN  ART  ASSOCIATION 
P U B LI  SHER  S 
1888 


\ All  rights  rese7"i'ed^ 


Copyright,  1888,  by 

THE  AMERICAN  ART  ASSOCIATION. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little  & Co 
Astor  Place,  New  York. 


AUTHOR’S  PREFACE. 


As  it  would  take  too  long  to  give  a complete  account  of  ail 
my  travels  and  experiences,  I have  selected  certain  charac- 
teristic episodes  here  and  there  and  put  them  together  in  a 
book  of  sketches.  The  reader  must  understand  that  this  is 
but  a collection  of  notes  without  any  pretensions  to  literary 
style — studies,  not  pictures. 


CENTRAL  ASIA. 

PAGE 

I.  Samarcand 1 

RUSSO-TURKISH  WAR. 

II.  On  the  Danube 40 

III.  The  Passage  of  the  Balkans 78 

IV.  The  March  on  Adrianople — Strukoff 12 

V.  M.  D.  Skobeleff 171 

VI.  S.  Turgenieff 182 


CENTRAL  ASIA. 


SAMARCAND. 

All  we  conquerors  of  Samarcand,  following  the  example  of 
General  Kaufman,  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  palace  of  the 
Emir  ; the  general  in  the  main  building,  which  consisted  of  a 
few  very  large  and  lofty  rooms,  and  the  rest  of  us,  who  com- 
posed his  staff,  in  the  huts  that  surrounded  it.  It  was  the 
lot  of  my  friend.  General  Golovatchof,  to  be  awarded  the 
premises  hitherto  held  sacred  to  the  harem  of  the  Emir,  the 
beauties  of  which  the  sturdy  and  gallant  warrior  could  only 
reflect  on,  as  the  birds  had  all  down  from  the  cage  before 
our  advent. 

Genera]  Kaufman’s  rooms  and  our  own  huts  communi- 
cated with  the  celebrated  throne-room  of  Tamerlane,  a 
court  surrounded  by  a cool  and  lofty  gallery  in  which  was 
placed  the  very  throne  itself,  a block  of  white  marble  with 
beautiful  ornamentation  in  relief.  To  this  court  the  sov- 
ereigns and  ambassadors  of  Asia  and  part  of  Europe  had 
eagerly  thronged  to  do  homage  and  bring  presents.  Seated 
on  that  throne  Timur- Lyang  (literally  lame  Irj/i)  had 
received  his  numerous  vassals.  I often  paced  that  gallery 
with  General  Kaufman  and  talked  of  the  place  we  now  occu- 
pied, the  travelers  who  had  preceded  us,  and  the  books  that 
had  been  written  upon  it.  We  were  surprised  at  the  inac- 
curacies of  Vambery,  vrho  has  maintained,  for  instance,  that 
the  throne,  Koktash,  was  green,  and  that  there  was  an  inscrip- 
tion on  an  iron  tablet  behind  the  throne,  whereas  the  throne 
is  really  white  and  the  inscription  is  on  stone.  Indeed, 
General  Kaufman,  in  view  of  these  glaring  inaccuracies,  ex- 
pressed it  as  his  opinion,  that  Vambery  had  never  been  to 
Samarcand  at  all. 

I rode  about  the  town  and  outside  of  it  every  day,  inspect- 
ing the  mosques,  bazaars  and  schools,  especially  the  older 
mosques,  among  which  some  remarkable  specimens  still 
remained.  There  was  so  much  material  for  study  and  sketch- 
ing that  it  was  difficult  to  decide  which  I should  begin  with  ; 


2 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


the  scenery,  buildings,  costumes,  faces  and  manners,  were  all 
new,  original  and  interesting. 

sj:  * 

Rumors  reached  us  that  the  Emir  of  Bokhara  was  march- 
ing on  us  with  an  army  of  30,000  men  to  recapture  his  lost 
capital.  Kaufman  prepared  to  march  against  him,  and  sent 
detachments  in  all  directions  to  quiet  the  population  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  newly  acquired  city — the  gorgeous,  incompar- 
able, divine  Samarcand — a city,  the  glories  of  which  have 
been  sung  by  the  ancient  and  modern  poets  of  the  East, 
whose  metaphors  must  of  course  be  taken  cum  gram  salts, 
for  Samarcand  itself,  like  all  Asiatic  centres,  is  foul  and  mal- 
odorous. 

General  Golovatchof  was  sent  to  occupy  the  fortress  of 
Kati-Kurgan  ; I accompanied  him  on  this  small  expedition 
in  the  hope  of  seeing  a little  real  fighting  at  close  quarters, 
but  was  wofully  disappointed  : with  the  exception  of  dust,  I 
saw  nothing.  The  fortress  surrendered  without  a blow,  to 
the  intense  disgust  of  the  officers  of  the  expedition.  Strand- 
mann,  who  commanded  the  cavalry,  was  so  indignant  at  the 
pacific  turn  of  events,  that  he  entreated  the  general  to  hand 
him  over  the  messengers  who  had  been  sent  to  inform  us  of 
the  surrender  of  the  fort,  with  a view  to  inculcating  the 
rudiments  of  courage  in  them.  The  action  which  our  expe- 
dition so  ardently  longed  for  slipped  through  our  fingers, 
and  with  it  all  the  rewards,  distinctions  and  promotions — it 
was  most  provoking. 

We  laughed  heartily  at  the  method  resorted  to  by  this 
same  cavalry  officer  to  get  meat  for  his  Cossacks.  As  the 
inhabitants  drove  their  cattle  away  from  every  part  of  our  road, 
and  as  it  was  consequently  impossible  to  get  anything,  this 
gallant  officer  determined  to  take  energetic  measures.  He 
called  a troop-sergeant  and  asked  him  : “Why  do  our  oxen 
pasture  so  far  off  ? ” The  troop-sergeant  was  astounded. 
“What  oxen,  your  honor?”  “Our  oxen,  I tell  you.  Can’t 
you  see  them  ? ” And  he  pointed  toward  some  oxen  pastur- 
ing on  the  rich  and  extensive  plain  of  Zaryevshan.  “No,  I 
cannot,  your  honor.”  . . . “ Don’t  answer  me  ! Drive 

them  up  here  at  once.”  A few  oxen  were  driven  up  to  the 
men,  and  were  eaten  up  so  quickly  and  entirely,  that  when  the 
owners  came  to  complain  to  the  general,  neither  bones  nor 


SAM  ARC  AND. 


3 


hides  could  be  found.  The  general,  however,  understood  the 
trick  and  paid  up. 

Pistolkors,  a gallant  Caucasian  officer,  was  sent  from  a de- 
tachment to  hght  a mass  of  Usbek  troops,  from  Shah-Ris- 
yabz  and  Kitab,  who  wxre  advancing  from  the  southwest. 
He  was  successful,  and  then,  according  to  the  custom  of 
victors,  slept  on  the  held  of  battle.  But  as  soon  as  he  turned 
to  march  back,  the  enemy  attacked  him  again,  and  came  to 
Samarcand,  as  the  saying  is,  “on  his  shoulders.”  General 
Kaufman,  followed  by  us,  went  out  to  meet  the  returning 
detachment,  but  we  had  scarcely  reached  the  suburbs  of  the 
town  before  we  were  met  by  bullets,  and  from  the  surround- 
ing gardens  so  lively  a musket-fire  opened  on  us,  that  we 
were  compelled  to  send  a few  of  the  Cossacks  who  formed 
our  escort  to  attack  the  enemy.  To  get  our  commander-in- 
chief out  of  danger,  we  were  obliged  to  turn  back,  somewhat 
chagrined.  Many  of  the  officers  of  the  detachment  expressed 
their  disgust  at  this  victory  which  looked  so  much  like  a 
defeat,  and  I heard  that  Colonel  Nazaroff,  a gallant  officer 
and  a jovial  soul,  openly  called  the  march  back  to  Samar- 
cand a rout,  for  which  he  was  put  under  arrest  by  Kaufman, 
and  forbidden  to  take  part  in  the  future  military  operations. 

This  apparent  defeat  gave  the  natives  courage.  The 
enemy  not  being  cut  down,  but  only  soundly  thrashed,  rallied 
quickly  and  made  their  presence  felt,  as  is  nearly  always  the 
case  in  the  East.  However  this  might  be,  rumors  kept 
reaching  us  that  the  towm  was  surrounded  by  the  enemy. 

We  did  not  trouble  ourselves  much  about  that.  The  idea 
did  not  even  occur  to  me  that  the  entire  expedition  might  be 
in  peril,  or  I,  myself,  in  imminent  danger.  Every  day  I rode 
about  the  bazaar,  attended  by  a Cossack,  and  into  all  the 
alleys  and  by-ways  of  the  town  ; it  was  not  until  afterward 
that  I understood  how  great  a risk  I had  run.  Even  before 
the  departure  of  the  commander-in-chief,  in  riding  through 
the  streets,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  knots  of  people, 
chiefly  young  and  middle-aged,  who  had  assembled  to  listen 
eagerly  to  the  harangues  and  sermons  of  their  mollahs.  On 
the  day  of  Pistolkors’  return  with  his  detachment,  these  ser- 
mons w'ere  particularly  lively  ; it  was  quite  clear  that  the 
people  ^vere  being  summoned  to  a holy  war  against  the  infi- 
del. On  one  occasion,  when  it  occurred  to  me  to  make  a 
short  cut  from  the  bazaar  to  the  citadel  through  some  by- 


4 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


streets,  1 found  myself  opposite  the  large  court-yard  of  a 
mosque  full  of  people,  who  were  being  addressed  by  a man 
in  a red  robe,  manifestly  an  emissary  from  the  Emir  of 
Bokhara.  I finally  met  my  old  friend,  the  mollah  of  the 
mosque,  Shirdar,  walking  through  the  bazaar  and  exciting  the 
people  by  gestures  and  speeches. 

How  are  you,  Mollah  ? ” I shouted  to  him.  He  seemed 
much  confused,  but  answered  me  politely,  and  was  compelled, 
apparently  much  against  his  will,  to  press  my  outstretched 
hand. 

As  soon  as  General  Kaufman  had  marched  out  of  the  town, 
rumors  began  to  reach  us  of  an  intended  rising  among  the 
population.  But  I had  so  long  moved  about  among  the 
natives  with  complete  confidence,  both  by  day  and  by  night, 
that  the  very  idea  of  a possible  change  in  my  relations  v/ith 
them  was  repugnant  to  my  mind.  At  that  time  I left  town 
on  the  way  to  Shah-Zinde,  the  former  summer  palace  of  Tam 
erlane,  where  I sketched  one  of  the  mosques  which  contained 
some  of  the  wonderful  tile-work  with  which  it  had  at  one 
time  been  covered.  ^ 

❖ % 

I became  so  disgusted  with  the  sand  and  continual  dust 
which  met  me  everywhere  instead  of  action,  that  I deter- 
mined to  seize  the  first  opportunity  of  leaving  Samarcand, 
and  to  take  a journey  to  Kokand,  for  which  purpose  I took 
leave  of  General  Kaufman.  However,  on  the  very  day  after 
his  departure,  I discovered  that  an  opportunity  would  not 
speedily  present  itself,  as  the  town  was  supposed  to  be  sur- 
rounded by  the  enemy,  and  it  would  have  been  necessary  to 
send  a large  escort  to  protect  us.  Unfortunately,  the  entire 
force  at  our  disposal  for  the  defence  of  the  fortress  and  man- 
ning of  the  walls,  which  were  about  two  miles  in  extent,  did 
not  amount  to  more  than  500  men. 

The  next  day,  early  in  the  morning,  Major  Serroff,  the 
Cossack  officer  who  had  been  left  in  charge  of  the  native 
population,  came  to  my  tent  and  entreated  me  to  discontinue 
my  expeditions  into  town,  which  he  assured  me  was  full  of 
armed  men  already  openly  hostile  to  us.  Shahriszab’s  men 
were  said  to  be  marching  against  us,  a revolt  was  to  be 
expected  at  any  moment,  and  probably  an  attack  on  the 
citadel.  ‘M^or  God’s  sake,”  he  implored  me,  “do  not  set 
your  foot  outside  the  fortress.  You  are  sure  to  be  killed  if 


SAMARCAND. 


5 


you  do.  All  trace  of  you  will  be  lost,  and  we  shall  be  unable 
even  to  discover  your  murderers.”  I must  confess  that  I did 
not  even  then  believe  in  the  existence  of  any  real  danger, 
and  would  have  ridden  out  of  town  again  if  it  had  not  been 
for  a sitting  promised  me  by  a Persian  from  an  Afghan  con- 
tingent, whom  I was  then  sketching,  and  whose  portrait  I had 
begun  only  the  day  before. 


AN  AFGHAN. 


The  report  with  reference  to  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
from  the  direction  of  the  khanates  was  confirmed  on  the  fob 


6 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


lowing  day.  On  leaving  my  hut  early  in  the  morning  I saw 
all  the  officers  of  the  fortress  on  the  roof  of  the  palace,  with 
glasses  in  their  hands.  They  invited  me  to  look,  and  I per- 
ceived clearly  with  the  naked  eye  that  the  heights  of  Tchopan- 
Atta,  which  commanded  the  town,  were  completely  covered 
with  troops,  all  apparently  well  armed,  for  their  well-polished 
guns  gleamed  in  the  distance.  Along  the  lines  I could  see 
their  commanding  officers  riding  up  and  down,  and  orderlies 
being  sent  off  on  different  missions.  Some  of  the  officers  in 
our  group  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  enemy  would 
shortly  storm  the  fort,  but  others  did  not  believe  that  this 
could  be  possible  ; I was  among  the  latter.  Among  us  was 
Major  Stempel,  the  commandant  of  the  fortress,  Serroff, 
whom  I have  already  mentioned,  and  Colonel  Nazaroff,  who 
had  been  left  behind  at  Samarcand  in  punishment  for  his 
unbridled  tongue,  and  whom  I did  not  as  yet  personally  know. 

I had  nearly  sketched  my  Afghan,  the  legs  being  all  that 
were  still  wanted,  but  apparently  it  was  not  destined  that 
I should  finish  him.  In  the  evening,  I remember,  I went,  on 
the  invitation  of  an  officer  of  sappers,  to  see  how  the  earth- 
works were  being  thrown  up  around  that  part  of  the  fortress 
which  faced  the  town.  Before  his  departure.  General  Kauf- 
man had  intrusted  to  this  officer  the  important  duty  of 
repairing  those  sections  of  the  fortress  walls  which  had  grown 
weak  and  crumbling  from  old  age,  and  had  rendered  an  en- 
trance easy  ; but  the  engineers  probably  doubted  the  possi- 
bility of  a serious  attack,  for  they  worked  indifferently  and 
showed  but  little  energy  ; it  was  not  until  the  enemy  made 
their  appearance  on  the  heights  of  Tchopan-Atta  that  they 
began  work  in  earnest  at  their  mole-like  task.  We  had  reason 
to  be  grateful  to  them  that  at  least  the  largest  and  most 
important  breach  in  the  fortress  had  been  repaired.  If  this 
had  remained  as  it  was  until  the  attack  had  begun,  the  cita- 
del would  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  in  half  an 
hour’s  time.  ^ 

On  the  following  day,  I had  just  sat  down  to  drink  the  tea 
brought  by  my  Cossack,  and  was  about  to  finish  the  sketch  of 
my  Afghan,  when  I suddenly  heard  a terrific  shouting,  which 
was  kept  up  unceasingly,  of  ‘‘  Urr  ! Urr  ! ” together  with  the 
sound  of  musketry.  I understood  the  seriousness  of  the 
situation  : They  were  storming  the  fortress.  I seized  my 


SAMARCAND. 


7 


revolver  and  ran  in  the  direction  of  the  shots,  toward  the 
Bokhara  gates.  I saw  Serroff  standing  pale  and  wan,  before 
the  gate  of  his  house,  nervously  twisting  his  mustaches,  the 
usual  gesture  of  this  gallant  Cossack  in  difficulties.  “ Here’s 
a nice  mess  ! Here’s  a nice  mess  ! ” he  kept  repeating. 

Why,  do  things  look  bad  ? ” I asked.  “ Not  as  yet.  But 
what  are  we  to  do?  Do  you  know  we  have  only  about  500 
men  in  the  fortress,  and,  according  to  my  information,  they 
must  have  at  least  20,000  ? ” 

I ran  on  farther,  and  arrived  at  the  Bokhara  gate.  On  the 
rampart  above  soldiers  could  be  seen  running  up  and  down 
in  the  smoke  exchanging  shots  with  the  enemy.  I ran  out 
to  them,  and  seeing  the  small  number  of  defenders,  I seized 
a gun  from  a dead  soldier,  filled  my  pockets  with  cartridges, 
also  taken  from  the  dead,  and  remained  for  eight  days  wuth 
my  soldier  comrades,  helping  to  hold  the  fort.  It  is  as  well 
to  point  out  that  I did  not  do  this  from  any  particularly 
heroic  impulse,  but  simply  because  our  garrison  was  so  very 
weak.  Even  the  convalescent  had  been  summoned  from  the 
hospital  to  augment  the  number  of  bayonets.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  would  have  been  a disgrace  for  a hale  and 
hearty  man  like  myself  to  hang  back. 

On  the  first  attack  the  gates  were  hastily  closed  so  that 
the  enemy  was  thrown  back  from  the  walls,  and,  retreating  on 
the  huts  that  almost  adjoined  them,  opened  a most  deadly  fire 
upon  us.  Their  guns  seemed  to  be  inferior  ; their  bullets 
were  large,  but  their  aim  was  exceedingly  good.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  respond  to  their  firing  promptly,  as  they  shot  at  us 
from  behind  small  loop-holes  eut  in  the  walls  of  the  huts.  We 
had  no  embrasures,  and  had  to  fire  under  the  cover  of  the  half 
broken  ridges  of  the  walls,  which  involved  the  exposure  of 
our  men  and  caused  considerable  loss.  I saw  a soldier 
adroitly  seize  the  opportunity  of  firing,  and  sueceed  in  pieking 
out  an  incautious  Uzbek  who  had  shown  himself  at  a hut. 
He  also  managed  to  send  a bullet  right  into  an  embrasure 
so  cleverly  that  he  injured  the  gun  and  probably  damaged 
the  nose  of  its  proprietor,  for  the  firing  from  that  quarter 
ceased  for  some  time.  This  feat  greatly  pleased  the  soldier. 
He  worked  with  renewed  vigor,  joked,  and  suddenly  fell 
down  like  mown  grass  with  a ball  in  his  head.  His  unused 
cartridges  I seized  as  my  heritage. 

Another  soldier  was  hit  in  the  ribs  by  a bullet,  he  dropped 


8 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


his  gun,  ran  up  and  down  the  battlements  in  a sort  of  circle, 
screaming  : ‘‘  Oh,  brothers  ! They  have  killed  me  ! Death 
has  found  me  out ! ” “ What  are  you  shouting  for,  my  good 

fellow?”  his  next  man  asked  him.  “Lie  down.”  But  the 
unfortunate  man  could  not  hear  him.  He  described  another 
circle,  staggered,  fell  down  and  died.  His  cartridges  also 
found  their  way  into  my  wallet. 

Soon  Major  Albedil  arrived  and  took  the  command  from 
his  junior  officer.  He  inspected  the  position  the  enemy  had 
taken  up,  made  a few  dispositions,  but  did  not  command  us 
very  long.  I remember  I was  talking  to  him  when  he  was 
suddenly  doubled  up  and  exclaimed  : “ I am  wounded  ! ” I 
took  him  on  my  shoulder,  and  with  the  aid  of  a soldier  carried 
him  to  the  bandaging  station,  which  was  close  to  the  palace 
of  the  Emir  and  nearly  a mile  from  the  gates.  Albedil  gave 
his  last  orders  bravely  and  distinctly.  He  exhorted  his  dis- 
concerted men  to  hold  themselves  well  together  and  not  to 
give  in  ; he  then  grew  so  weak  and  helpless,  that  I had  not 
the  heart  to  leave  him  to  the  soldier,  but  carried  him  to  his 
quarters  myself.  The  wounded  man  felt  sadly  fatigued  on 
the  way,  but  unfortunately  there  were  no  litters  to  be  found. 
He  had  to  drag  himself  along,  leaning  on  me.  “ I feel,”  he 
said,  “that  my  wound  is  fatal.  My  life  is  over.”  I per- 
suaded him,  of  course,  that  he  would  survive.  “ The  wound 
is  in  the  soft  part  of  the  leg,”  I said.  “ It  will  heal  up  ; you 
will  be  all  right  soon,  and  dance  again.”  And  indeed  it  did 
heal  up,  and  Albedil  did  dance  again,  but  the  Bokharian 
bullet  did  more  damage  than  I expected  ; it  did  not  break 
the  bone,  but  grazed  it,  and  caused  the  victim  much  pain  and 
trouble  for  months  and  even  years. 

Having  consigned  Albedil  to  the  care  of  a doctor,  I ran 
back  to  the  gates,  where  the  bring  and  roar  were  as  bad  as 
ever.  In  a turn  of  the  wall,  a little  to  the  left,  I came  upon 
a group  of  soldiers  huddled  up  together,  cheering  in  a feeble, 
undetermined  sort  of  way,  and  firing  desultorily  in  the 
direction  of  the  battlements,  where  one  could  see  the  heads 
of  the  attacking  force  peeping  over  every  now  and  then. 
“We  shall  all  die  here,”  the  soldiers  were  muttering  gloom- 
ily. “ Oh  ! God  ! we  are  punished  for  our  sins  ! How  are 
we  to  get  out  alive  ? Thanks  to  Kaufman,  who  has  deserted 
us  and  left  the  fortress  unrepaired.”  I did  my  best  to 
encourage  them.  “Are  you  not  ashamed  to  cave  in  like 


SAMARCAND. 


9 


that  ? We  will  hold  out.  Can  it  be  that  we  shall  allow  our- 
selves to  be  taken  alive  ? ” 

The  men  were  much  frightened  by  certain  fiery  bodies 
which  the  enemy  threw  at  us  over  the  walls,  much  resem- 
bling Greek  fire. 

A little  further  on  I saw  an  officer  arrive  at  the  walls  with 
a small  contingent  of  men.  This  was  Colonel  Nazaroff,  whom 
I have  mentioned  before,  and  who,  in  view  of  the  imminent 
peril  to  which  the  fortress  was  exposed,  had  very  sensibly 
forgotten  all  about  his  being  under  arrest,  and  had  collected 
all  the  convalescent  soldiers  of  his  battalion  in  the  hospital 
who  were  able  to  hold  a gun,  and  appeared  where  the  danger 
was  greatest.  The  men  ran  up  to  him  quite  lost.  “ Your 
honor,  the  enemy  is  breaking  in  ! ” Don’t  be  afraid,  my 
comrades,  I am  with  you,”  he  answered  with  an  air  of  calm- 
ness and  confidence  that  at  once  soothed  the  men,  who  had 
completely  lost  their  spirit  from  the  incessant  storming  and 
terrific  shouting  of  the  enemy.  From  that  moment  the  colonel 
and  I were  inseparable,  during  the  whole  of  that  eight-day 
siege  so  memorable  in  the  chronicles  of  Central-Asian  warfare. 

Again  we  heard  renewed  shouts  of  “ Urr  ! Urr  ! Urr  ! ” 
coming  nearer  and  nearer,  and  above  us  we  could  see  the 
heads  of  a few  of  the  attacking  party,  apparently  preparing 
to  jump  into  the  fortress.  Our  men,  without  waiting  for  the 
w^ord  of  command,  fired  a volley,  and  the  heads  disappeared, 
and  all  was  quiet  again.  The  mob  had  evidently  retired  on 
finding  so  warm  a reception  where  they  had  hoped  to  effect 
an  unresisted  entrance.  It  appeared  that  a fc-otpath  led  up 
to  this  place  at  the  wall,  and  that  the  battlements  being 
broken,  the  footpath  was  continued  on  our  side.  There  had 
not  been  time  to  dig  up  this  pathway,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  townspeople,  who  knew  all  these  unofficial  entrances  to  the 
fortress,  were  conducting  the  attacking  force  along  this  path. 

At  this  juncture  a section  of  our  men  was  sent  from  this 
part  of  the  wall  to  another,  a little  to  the  right  of  the  gate, 
but  messengers  soon  returned  to  Nazaroff  pale  as  death, 
shouting  : “ Over  there,  your  honor  ! Over  there  ! They 
are  breaking  in,  your  honor  ! ” AVe  ran  off  in  the  direction 
they  pointed  to  and  found  several  Usbeks  hard  at  work  at  a 
breach  that  had  been  imperfectly  stopped  up  with  small  trunks 


lO 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


of  trees.  They  were  fine,  strong  chaps,  with  sunburnt  faces, 
but  they  did  not  wait  for  our  bayonets,  nor  even  our  bullets, 
but  ran  away  at  the  very  sight  of  us. 

This  weakened  fortress,  two  miles  in  circumference,  was 
in  ruins  everywhere.  There  was  no  point  at  which  an  en- 
trance could  not  have  been  easily  effected,  and  as  there  was 
a perfect  labyrinth  of  huts  inside,  it  would  have  been  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  exterminate  even  a small  party  of  the  enemy 
if  they  had  once  succeeded  in  effecting  an  entrance. 


USBEK  FROM  SHAHRISYABZ  {Slave  Trader'), 


SAMARCAND. 


1 1 

It  is  with  mixed  feelings  of  amusement  and  pain  that  I 
remember  how,  when  we  returned  from  the  last  adventure, 
and  Colonel  Nazaroff  suggested  this  would  be  a good  oppor- 
tunity for  discussing  a basin  of  soup,  some  soldiers  came 
running  to  us  from  our  old  position  shouting  : ‘‘  Your  honor, 
please  come  here  ; they  are  breaking  in.’’  We  ran  off  again. 
There  was  a tremendous  noise,  but  as  yet  we  could  see  no 
one.  The  noise  grew  louder  and  louder,  and  we  could  at 
last  distinguish  the  shouts  of  separate  voices.  It  was  clear 
that  they  were  making  for  the  breach  that  was  close  to  us. 
We  went  over  there,  hid  ourselves  behind  the  wall,  and 
waited.  ‘‘  Let  us  mount  the  ramparts  and  meet  them  there,” 
I wTispered  to  Nazaroff.  “Hush,”  he  replied,  “let  them 
get  in.”  This  situation  I have  since  made  the  subject  of  a 
picture.  We  heard  shouts  over  our  very  heads,  and  could 
see  the  enemy  crawling  up  to  the  ridge  of  the  ramparts  ; 
suddenly  a loud  cheer  rent  the  air  from  our  side,  and  such  a 
volley  was  poured  into  them,  that  this  time  also  our  bayonets 
had  no  work  to  do.  The  enemy  ran  from  the  bullets. 

'Fhese  incessant  attacks  had  a very  discouraging  effect  on 
our  men.  We  could  hear  them  repeat  that  they  knew  they 
would  have  to  “ lay  down  their  bones  and  die.”  It  needed  all 
Nazaroff ’s  energy  and  humor  to  keep  up  the  men’s  spirits 
and  make  them  laugh  now  and  then.  On  the  whole  I v;as 
much  impressed  by  their  serious  demeanor  during  action. 
Even  in  the  intervals  between  the  attacks  the  enemy  gave  us 
no  peace.  They  crept  up  to  the  ramparts  in  small  detach- 
ments, and  would  fire  off  their  guns  before  we  caught  sight 
of  them,  and  get  under  cover  before  our  soldiers,  taken  un- 
awares, had  time  to  respond.  They  thus  did  us  considerable 
damage,  injuring  many  men,  whereas  our  return  shots 
scarcely  did  more  than  tear  up  the  earth  of  the  earthworks. 
This  made  me  furious,  and  I stood  for  a long  time,  gun  in 
hand,  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  a sunburnt  head,  and 
unable  to  contain  myself,  used  some  pretty  strong  language. 
Immediately  the  soldiers  stopped  me.  “It  is  wrong  to 
swear  now,”  they  said  ; “ this  is  not  the  time.”  At  first  the 
men  used  to  call  me  “Worthy  Sir,”  but  when  Nazaroff  called 
me  by  name,  Vassili  Vassilievitch,  they  all  took  it  up,  and 
soon  the  whole  garrison,  even  the  inmates  of  the  hospital 
followed  his  example. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  Captain  Mikhnevitch,  a fine, 


12 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


gallant  fellow  who  commanded  the  garrison  artillery  and 
was  almost  everywhere  at  once,  served  out  hand-grenades 
to  throw  over  the  ramparts  into  the  enemy’s  midst.  In  the 
mean  time,  however,  the  shouting  had  ceased  and  we  did  not 
know  in  what  direction  to  throw  them,  besides  feeling  that 
the  enemy  might  be  meditating  some  new  move.  It  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  look  over  the  ramparts  to  discover 
where  the  enemy  were,  and  what  they  were  up  to.  The 
officers  ordered  several  soldiers  to  mount,  but  they  did  not 
seem  to  care  about  going,  one  pushing  another  in  front  of 
him — it  looked  like  certain  death.  “Wait,”  I exclaimed,  “ I 
know  gymnastics,”  and  before  Nazaroff  had  time  to  shout  : 
“What  do  you  mean?  Don’t  do  it!  Come  back,”  I was 
high  up.  “ Come  down  ! com_e  down  ! ” Nazaroff  implored, 
almost  in  a whisper,  but  I did  not  come  down.  I was  ashamed 
to,  though  I must  confess  I did  not  like  my  position.  I 
stood  there  under  the  battlements  bending  down  so  as  not 
to  be  seen,  and  reflected  on  what  I was  to  do.  I felt  that  if 
I bent  over  those  battlements  and  showed  myself,  I should 
be  killed.  I stood  thus  and  thought.  These  reflections  in 
times  of  great  peril  pass  through  one’s  brain  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, and  in  the  course  of  one  or  two  seconds,  I was  stand- 
ing bolt  upright  ! Before  me  I saw  a vast  crowd  of  people 
close  up  to  the  ramparts  and  distributed  among  the  huts, 
and  a little  to  one  side  of  it  a knot  of  men,  in  large  turbans, 
who  were  evidently  holding  a sort  of  council  of  war.  All 
these  people  lifted  up  their  heads  when  they  saw  me  appear 
and  seemed  for  a time  to  be  quite  aghast  at  the  unexpected 
apparition.  This  saved  me.  When  they  had  recovered 
themselves,  they  shouted  : “ Mana  ! Mana  ! ” “ there  ! 

there  I ” and  I had  only  time  to  stoop  down  when  the  bullets 
began  to  rain  on  the  ramparts  and  imbedded  themselves  in  the 
walls.  A perfect  fire  was  poured  upon  the  spot  where  I had 
appeared.  “ Come  down  at  once  ! ” shouted  the  brave  Naz- 
aroff ; and  I need  not  say  there  was  no  occasion  for  him  to 
repeat  the  request.  I pointed  out  the  place  where  the  crowd 
was  thickest,  and  our  hand-grenades  soon  played  terrific 
havoc,  making  thereby  an  unearthly  noise  : Our  object  had 
been  gained  ! 

❖ * 

As  Nazaroff  was  his  own  commanding  officer,  and  could 
move  about  from  one  place  to  another  as  he  thought  fit,  we 


SAMARCAND. 


13 


went  off  to  an  angle  in  the  fortress  from  which  both  lines  of 
ramparts  could  be  seen  for  a considerable  distance.  I may 
mention  by  the  way  that  the  citadel  walls  of  Samarcand  were 
exceptionally  high  and  massive,  so  that  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  ravages  of  years,  or  rather  centuries,  we  need  have  had 
no  fear.  The  drawback  was  that  owing  to  the  many  breaches 
it  resembled  a sieve  more  than  anything  else,  and  had 
to  be  defended  at  too  many  different  points  at  one  and  the 
same  time  ; and  as  I have  already  stated,  we  had  only  500 
men  to  do  this  with,  besides  the  sick  and  convalescent,  all  of 
whom  were  utilized  as  much  as  possible.  Many  were  so  weak 
that  they  could  not  even  cheer,  and  it  was  as  much  as  they 
could  do  to  keep  their  muskets  in  their  hands.  Sometimes 
when  a comrade  was  wounded  or  killed,  one  was  tempted  to 
lose  patience  with  them  and  shout  angrily:  What  do  you 

mean  by  standing  like  that  ? Give  us  a hand  to  carry  him 
off  ; don’t  you  see  the  poor  fellow  is  shot  ? ” But  the  only 
reply  was  a languid,  “ I can’t.  I — am — one  of — the — weak 
ones.”  “ Then  why  did  you  come  here  if  you  can’t  move  ? ” 
‘‘  Don’t  know.  We  were  all  ordered  to  the  ramparts.” 

We  made  ourselves  very  comfortable  at  our  new  post  of 
observation.  My  Cossack,  who  had  found  me  out  and  had 
refused  to  leave  his  master,  was  sent  off  to  fetch  my  cigars, 
and  Nazaroff  ordered  some  bread  and  vodka  (whiskey).  We 
ate  and  we  smoked.  Wdiat  a luxury  ! The  cigars  produced 
such  an  animating  effect,  that  I bought  another  box,  and 
distributed  its  contents  among  the  men  in  our  vicinity, 
h^verybody  commenced  smoking.  Some  cabbage  soup  was 
then  brought  us,  and  we  fortified  ourselves.  After  my  tea  in 
the  morning,  which  I had  not  had  time  to  hnish,  this  was 
especially  acceptable.  Nazaroff  and  his  entire  force  dis- 
posed themselves  in  the  shade  of  the  huts  ; but  I,  with  a few 
volunteers,  kept  on  the  ramparts,  and  found  relaxation  in 
sharp-shooting.  Every  now  and  again  we  spotted  a man. 
It  was  like  having  the  satisfaction  of  knocking  over  a rabbit 
or  a hare.  I remember  how  a man  next  to  me  knocked  over 
a fellow,  but  did  not  kill  him.  The  soldier  wanted  to  give 
him  another  dose  of  lead  to  settle  him,  but  his  comrades 
would  not  let  him.  “ Leave  him  alone,”  they  said  ; ‘‘don’t 
hurt  him.”  “ But  he  will  run  away,”  the  soldier  replied. 
“ Never  mind,”  said  his  comrades  ; *‘  he  is  a non-combatant 
now.”  The  wounded  man  did  indeed  succeed  in  getting  away. 


14 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


But  he  managed  to  do  so  most  artfully,  probably  fully  con- 
vinced that  he  had  succeeded  in  cheating  us.  He  had  fallen 
across  the  road  near  the  ramparts,  and  so  he  commenced  to 
roll  slowly  from  side  to  side  so  as  not  to  excite  our  suspicions, 
and  thus  slowly  rolling  along,  he  rolled  himself  into  cover, 
where  he  was  pulled  in  by  several  hands,  the  owners  of  which 
were  no  doubt  quite  convinced  he  had  played  a very  smart 
trick,  for  of  course  they  would  never  have  thought  of  accus- 
ing a Russian  of  acting  on  the  principle  of  not  hitting  a man 
when  he  was  down. 

With  the  exception,  however,  of  one  or  two  similar  in- 
stances of  sentimentality,  our  fellows  gave  no  quarter,  nor 
did  we  receive  any  ourselves.  The  shots  all  came  from  the 
huts,  and  all  from  guns  placed  in  loop-holes,  and  aimed 
straight  at  any  of  our  fellows  who  showed  themselves.  Fre- 
quently the  bullets  hit  the  embrasures  that  our  sappers  had 
cut.  Once  I remember  a bullet  of  this  kind  tore  up  the  earth 
in  an  embrasure  elose  to  which  I was  sitting,  and  just  as  I 
was  going  to  pull  the  trigger.  The  sand  and  stones  flew  about 
my  face  and  I could  not  contain  myself,  but  put  my  hands  to 
my  head.  “ Take  him  away,”  Nazaroff  shouted,  thinking  I was 
wounded.  On  another  occasion  while  taking  aim,  I was 
talking  to  a soldier  near  me,  when  I suddenly  heard  a blow 
against  a soft  substance,  I turned  round  and  saw  my  neighbor 
had  dropped  his  gun,  was  foaming  at  the  mouth,  and  then 
suddenly  turned  a somersault  over  the  wall. 

Nazaroff  and  two  young  officers,  whose  names  I have 
forgotten,  made  themselves  thoroughly  at  home.  He  sent 
around  a double  allowance  of  vodka,  and  cracked  jokes  with 
the  men  in  the  most  good-humored  manner  as  was  his  wont. 
Indeed,  to  judge  by  the  sound  of  laughter  and  merriment 
that  reached  my  ears,  one  would  not  have  supposed  that 
there  was  anything  like  danger  near  us. 

However,  this  little  fortress  idyl  did  not  last  long.  Soon  we 
heard  near  the  Bokhara  gate  the  well-known  sound  of  shouts 
of  attack  coupled  with  firing,  and  then  a soldier  ran  up  and 
asked  for  assistance,  as  the  enemy  were  pressing  them 
closely,  Nazaroff  left  some  men  to  keep  a look-out  at  his 
point  of  observation,  and  ran  off  to  the  gates.  The  officer  in 
command  here  willingly  put  himself  under  Nazaroff,  and  so 


SAMARCAND. 


15 


did  Captain  Tcherkasoff  with  his  sappers.  The  attack  was 
again  repulsed.  It  was  now  getting  late.  A copper  tea-pot 
was  brought,  and  we  commenced  drinking  tea,  but  we  were 
not  destined  to  enjoy  it.  A fresh  attack  was  made  on  us.  I 
involuntarily  remembered  my  morning  tea,  which  was  still 
perhaps  standing  unfinished  m my  room,  and  my  Afghan, 
whose  legs  I had  not  drawn  in,  but  whom  I hoped  to  com- 
plete.^ This  time  the  enemy  somehow  retreated  very 
quickly,  but  soon  after  their  departure  smoke  was  seen  rising 
from  the  gates.  Confound  them  ! they  had  set  the  gates  on 
fire  ! Such  was  indeed  the  case.  Soon  a strong  flame  could  be 
seen  rising  in  the  darkness.  As  soon  as  the  gates  burst,  a 
fresh  attack  was  made,  this  time  a long  and  obstinate  one. 
We  fired  at  each  other  nearly  muzzle  to  muzzle.  The  noise 
and  tumult  were  diabolical.  In  the  midst  of  this  uproar  I 
shouted  to  the  men,  who  were  firing  wildly  in  the  air  : Don’t 

fire  at  the  sky!  Whom  are  you  aiming  at  there  ? ” *AVe 
are  frightening  them,”  was  the  perfectly  serious  answer. 

I succeeded  in  shooting  two  of  the  attacking  party. 
“Take  your  time  in  firing,”  I said  to  myself,  “put  your  gun 
band  here  and  wait.”  I put  my  gun  on  the  ridge  of  the  wall, 
and  just  then  one  of  the  enemy  ran  across  the  road,  under  the 
gates,  with  his  musket  slung  over  his  shoulder.  I fired,  and 
he  fell  dead.  The  shot  was  at  so  short  a distance  that  my 
unlucky  victim’s  wadded  cloak  (kaftan)  caught  fire  and 
kept  burning  slowly,  until  the  poor  fellow  was  charred  all 
over  and  turned  into  coal.  He  had  moved  his  hand  to  his 
mouth  at  the  time  he  was  shot,  and  this  hand  remained  in 
that  position.  This  black  mass  remained  lying  about  for  a 
whole  week  until  our  men  returned  ; the  entire  garrison 
marched  over  it.  'hhe  other  fellow  was  shot  in  much  the 
same  manner.  The  men  said  : “ Look  at  Vassili  Vassilie- 
vitch,  what  pains  he  is  taking  for  us  ! ” 

There  is  a silver  lining  to  every  cloud.  As  soon  as  the 
gates  were  burned,  Tcherkasoff  erected  an  excellent  barri- 
cade with  sacks,  behind  which  a gun  loaded  with  grape  was 
placed.  Here  our  conversation  was  somewhat  different. 

It  had  grown  dark,  the  fallen  beams  and  boards  of  the 
gate  were  still  lightly  glowing.  Nazaroff  had  disposed  his 


^ This  Afghan  is  at  Mr.  J.  N.  Terestchenko’s  Gallery,  in  Kief,  with- 
out his  legs. 


i6 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


men  so  that  they  could  not  be  seen  by  the  enemy,  only  their 
bayonets  were  visible,  glistening  in  the  dark.  All  that  could 
be  seen  in  the  centre  were  the  guns  and  the  man  to  serve 
them  with  their  officer.  Iffieir  white  shirts  and  tunics  stood 
out  boldly  in  the  light  of  the  flames.  And  now  we  could  hear 
a noise  approaching  by  degrees,  which  turned  into  a sort  of 
hoarse  roar  of  many  thousand  voices  shouting : Allah  ! 

Allah.  1 ” Presently  we  saw  figures  advancing  ; none  of  them 
fired;  they  carried  their  scimitars  and  muskets  in  their  hands. 
Like  sheep,  with  their  heads  well  down,  they  threw  them- 
selves on  the  gates  and  the  gun.  The  loud  voice  of  Lieu- 
tenant Slujenko  could  be  heard  clearly  giving  the  word  of 
command  : No.  i.  The  next  sound  was  the  terrific  thunder 
of  the  gun,  followed  by  a complete  silence.  Nothing  could 
be  distinguished  in  the  smoke.  The  stillness  lasted  for  about 
a minute,  and  then  voices  were  heard  again  in  the  distance. 
The  enemy  had  been  driven  back  and  were  probably  com- 
paring notes,  quarreling  amongst  themselves  and  abusing 
each  other,  much  to  our  delight.  These  attacks  were  con- 
tinued for  a considerable  time  ; each  descent  was  made  with 
increased  impetuosity.  It  was  clear  that  the  enemy  was 
determined  to  storm  the  fortress  at  any  price.  But  the 
undisciplined  crowd  of  Asiatics  were  unable  to  stand  the 
grape-shot  and  always  retired.  They  had  good  reason  to 
retreat,  for  although  we  could  occasionally  catch  sight  of  how 
they  quickly  seized  and  carried  off  their  killed  and  wounded, 
on  the  following  day  we  found  so  many  dead  under  our  very 
ramparts,  from  whence  it  was  impossible  for  the  enemy  to 
carry  them  away,  that  they  caused  a terrible  odor  under  the 
burning  sun,  and  it  is  a marvel  that  no  epidemic  broke  out  in 
the  fortress  in  consequence. 

❖ 

As  soon  as  all  was  quiet  we  made  a sortie,  mainly  directed 
against  a mosque  which  lay  near  us,  and  from  which  all  the 
attacks  of  the  enemy  seemed  to  have  emanated  as  though  it 
were  a fortress.  Having  assured  ourselves  that  the  enemy 
had  retired,  we  quietly  sallied  out  at  night  and  made  straight 
for  that  abominable  mosque  ; we  quickly  got  some  dry  wood 
together,  placed  some  sticks  around  it,  and  set  it  on  fire.  We 
did  the  same  to  several  huts  in  our  immediate  vicinity  which 
we  had  found  specially  undesirable.  In  one  of  these  we 


SAMARCAND. 


17 

found  a Turcoman  chestnut  horse  ; it  was  decided  to  present 
it  to  me,  but  I declined  the  honor  and  gave  it  to  the  m.en, 
paying  them  forty  roubles. 

Here  we  also  set  hre  to  everything  that  would  burn.  We 
talked  in  whispers,  in  the  dark.  All  that  could  be  heard 
was  : “ Nikolay  Nikolayevitch  ! ” “ Vassili  Vassilievitch  ! ” 

‘‘Come  here  ! ” It  was  remarkable  that  Nazaroff  had  come 
out  on  this  expedition  in  slippers,  not  so  much,  I believe, 
through  absent-mindedness  as  because  he  was  thoroughly 
calm  and  indifferent  to  danger.  Was  it  worth  while  taking 
the  trouble  of  putting  on  boots,  when  he  had  already  taken 
them  off  for  the  night  ? 

When  the  tongues  of  flame  showed  themselves  in  the  air, 
we  retired  ; it  was  time,  indeed.  The  fire  had  been  noticed, 
and  we  could  hear  excited  voices.  Apparently  the  enemy 
were  trying  to  put  it  out,  but  their  efforts  were  of  no  avail, 
and  the  flames  only  gained  on  them. 

They  again  commenced  an  attack  on  us,  but  this  time 
with  even  less  success,  for  the  entire  neighborhood  was 
lighted  up  and  we  could  clearly  see  them  coming. 

That  night  our  gun  and  its  charming  commander,  Slu- 
jenko,  worked  wondrous  hard  ; I went  to  sleep  to  the  reso- 
nant sound  of  his  commands.  Provided  with  boards,  we  laid 
ourselves  to  rest  in  the  sand,  in  the  streets,  anywhere,  with 
our  muskets  by  our  sides,  and,  notwithstanding  the  hardness 
of  my  improvised  couch,  and  the  terrible  number  of  military 
fleas,  I slept  the  sleep  of  the  just. 

* * 

Long  after  midnight  a loud  and  continuous  noise  awoke 
me.  It  was  the  mosque  that  we  had  set  Are  to  going  to  pieces. 
We  went  on  the  ramparts  to  feast  our  eyes  on  the  work  of 
our  hands  ; it  was  a beautiful  night  ; the  air  was  charmingly 
still,  and  the  sky  filled  with  stars.  As  the  sentries  were  all 
at  their  posts  and  keeping  a sharp  look  out,  we  again  went  to 
sleep  after  chatting  awhile. 

With  the  early  morning  the  attack  upon  us  was  resumed. 
The  enemy  advanced  on  the  place  where  we  had  been  the 
day  before,  and  even  as  far  as  the  principal  entrance  to  the 
town.  Here  at  the  gates  there  was  also  a gun,  but  in  an 
incomparably  more  advantageous  position  than  ours,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  to  enter  the  fortress  except  across  a 


2 


i8 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


bridge  over  the  moat,  a surprise  became  entirely  impossible. 
If  I am  not  mistaken  these  gates  were  called  the  Djuzak 
gates  ; here  Captain  Stchemetilo  was  in  command,  a thor- 
ough Ukrainian  and  a splendid  fellow.  To  both  these 
places  Nazaroff  had  sent  reinforcements  on  one  occasion 
hen  they  were  in  a bad  way. 

We  could  see  how  the  attack  on  the  place  we  had  occu- 
pied the  day  before  was  progressing,  how  numbers  of  the 
enemy  at  a run  and  shouting  “ Ur  ! ” rose  to  the  ridge  and 
then,  after  losing  a few  men,  surged  back  again. 

All  grew  quiet  again.  Nazaroff  got  me  to  join  him  in 
eating  some  sour-stuff,”  as  he  called  soup  of  beet-root, 
cabbage  and  bacon,  which  was  provided  by  our  merchants, 
who  had  informed  us  long  ago  that  dinner  would  be  ready 
whenever  we  wanted  it.  He  also  gave  instructions  to  be 
called  the  moment  any  fresh  danger  arose. 

Our  Russian  merchants,  who  had  come  to  Samarcand  with 
a view  to  opening  commercial  relations,  were  of  course  any- 
thing but  pleased  at  finding  them  participating  in  such  a 
row.  One  of  them,  Trubtchaninoff  by  name,  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  firm  of  tea  merchants,  was,  however,  braver 
than  the  rest,  and  even  once  joined  us  on  the  ramparts  in  a 
red  shirt  and  with  a fowling-piece  in  his  hand  ; but  the 
others  shirked  it,  and  as  soon  as  the  firing  commenced, 
lighted  their  candles  and  fell  down  on  their  knees  before 
their  “ ikons  ” (holy  pictures).  As  the  bullets  came  through 
their  door  they  were  obliged  to  change  their  places  of  wor- 
ship from  one  corner  to  another,  and  when  a few  large 
shrapnels  of  the  calibre  of  small  shells  broke  through  the 
roof,  they  had  to  change  about  again. 

They  fed  us  and  gave  us  to  drink,  sent  the  men  some 
vodka,  as  well  as  a few  boxes  of  cigars,  with  which  I after- 
wards made  a circuit  of  the  ramparts,  distributing  the  wel- 
come weeds  among  those  who  wanted  them.  They  con- 
fessed to  us  that  the  firing  and  shouting  sounded  very 
terribly  in  their  ears,  and  made  them  expect  the  advent 
of  unwelcome  guests  at  every  moment. 

Our  sick  and  wounded  were  put  in  the  throne  court,  but 
occasional  stray  shots  from  the  fortress  hit  a good  many 
among  them  and  nearly  killed  the  doctor,  so  that  some  of 
them  were  transferred  to  huts  close  to  the  unfortunate  mer- 
chants, who  were  thus  completely  robbed  of  any  rest  they 


SAMARCAND. 


19 


20 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


might  have  had  left.  The  groans  of  the  wounded  day  and 
night  were  heart-rending,  so  Trubtchaninolf  told  us. 

I found  a whole  family  of  Jews  on  the  throne  of  Tamer- 
lane itself,  and  I asked  Nazaroff  whether  they  had  not  bet- 
ter be  removed  from  so  historically  venerable  a place,  but  he 
was  callous  to  such  profanation,  and  seemed  to  think  that 
the  throne  might  well  be  utilized  for  even  baser  purposes. 
Of  Jews  we  had  a great  number,  including  children  and 
servants  ; the  sensation  of  freedom  experienced  by  the 
advent  of  the  Russians  led  them  to  give  themselves  airs  ; 
they  commenced  wearing  sashes  instead  of  ropes  round  their 
waists,  and  to  ride  on  horseback,  all  of  which  had  been  for- 
bidden them  before,  and  they  would,  therefore,  have  all  been 
massacred  if  they  had  remained  in  the  town.  I was  told  that 
these  Jews  when  the  firing  was  very  severe  raised  the  most 
frightful  hullabaloo,  prayed,  beat  their  cheeks  and  tore  the 
long  curls  that  hung  down  from  their  temples.  Beside  Jews 
we  had  Persians,  Afghans,  Hindoos,  and  Tartars.  All  these 
rushed  at  us  when  we  came  in  and  asked  how  the  fight  was 
going  on,  thanked  us,  and  kissed  the  hems  of  our  garments. 

Nazaroff  was  informed  that  fresh  hordes  were  assembling 
and  another  attack  was  expected,  so  we  hurried  back  ; but  the 
attack  turned  out  a very  poor  one,  and  we  took  heart  again. 

As  our  men  did  not  undress,  but  lay  about  on  the  sand 
in  their  clothes,  and  were  nearly  eaten  up  by  insects,  Naz- 
aroff ordered  them  off  in  detachments  to  bathe  in  the  pond 
of  a mosque.  “ Wash  yourselves  well,”  he  added,  and  then 
followed  a phrase  little  current  in  polite  society.  The  men 
received  this  order  with  shouts  of  laughter,  and  replied  with 
the  regulation  “ Glad  to  please  you,  your  honor  ! ” 

Our  detachment  was  now  augmented,  for  as  our  gates 
were  the  most  important  point,  the  commandant  sent  us  all 
the  men  he  could  scrape  together.  Beside  convalescents, 
we  had  Cossacks  and  all  sorts  of  irregulars,  who  cheered 
loudly  enough  but  got  behind  the  huts  when  the  fighting 
began.  Besides  two  or  three  regimental  officers,  Nazaroff 
had  two  officers  of  sappers  with  him,  Tcherkarsoff  and 
Voronetz,  the  latter  a fat,  green  youth,  who  had  just  left 
school.  As  we  were  all  more  or  less  young,  the  time  passed 
away  merrily  with  jokes  and  laughter,  only  to  be  interrupted 


SAMARCAND. 


21 


now  and  again  by  the  news  that  so-and-so  had  been  killed 
or  wounded.  Among  others  our  charming  artillery  officer, 
Slujenko,  was  mortally  wounded.  I was  not  present  at  the 
time,  but  Voronetz  told  me  that  this  brave  soldier  rode  up 
and  down  the  ramparts  in  a white  tunic  and  mounted  on  a 
black  horse,  offering  an  excellent  target  to  the  enemy,  against 
which  he  was  accordingly  warned.  “ I saw  that  he  was 
rather  doubled  up  on  his  saddle,”  said  Voronetz,  ‘‘and  so  I 
asked  him  what  was  the  matter,  but  he  did  not  answer  me. 
When  we  took  him.  off  his  horse,  we  found  a bullet  in  his 
stomach.” 

I thought  I would  take  advantage  of  the  comparative 
calm  to  try  my  new  acquisition,  the  Turcoman  chestnut, 
which  had  been  captured  during  our  sortie.  But  I had  not 
ridden  200  yards  when  hell  seemed  set  loose.  A fresh  attack 
by  the  enemy  was  being  made,  the  most  desperate  of  all. 

I confided  my  horse  to  the  custody  of  the  nearest  Cos- 
sack, and  rushed  into  the  fray.  The  Uzbeks  had  crept  up 
to  the  defences  along  the  huts,  up  to  the  very  gates,  and  had 
climbed  the  walls  so  quietly  that  we  did  not  hear  the  least 
noise,  and  then  thrown  themselves  on  our  guns.  Besides 
bullets,  we  w^ere  saluted  from  the  huts  by  a perfect  hail- 
storm of  stones  which  had  been  collected  for  the  purpose. 

The  first  salutation  accorded  me  was  a blow  from  a stone 
on  my  left  leg.  I thought  my  leg  was  broken,  but  it  was  not. 
Everybody  was  cheering,  but  no  one  advanced.  In  the  cen- 
tre I saw  Nazaroff,  crimson  with  rage,  thrashing  the  soldiers 
on  the  back  of  their  heads  with  the  flat  of  his  sword,  urging 
them  on,  but  they  kept  shuffling  backward.  “ Tcherkasoff,” 
he  shouted,  “ give  it  those  cowardly  beggars  ! ” At  such 
moments  thoughts  flash  through  the  brain  with  lightning 
rapidity.  My  first  impulse  was  to  show  the  men  the  Avay. 
Then  the  thought  came  that  I would  be  sure  to  get  shot,  but 
im.pulse  urged  : “ Go  on  ; it’s  all  right  ; you  won’t  get  shot 
yet  ! ” These  reflections  did  not  take  up  as  much  as  two 
seconds.  Before  me  lay  some  beams  or  timber  of  some  sort. 
Musket  in  hand,  in  my  unimposing  costume,  consisting  of  a 
gray  overcoat  flying  open,  a gray  beaver  hat  on  my  head, 
I jumped  on  these  beams,  turned  to  the  men,  shouted 
“ Follow  me,  brothers  ! ” and  threw  myself  into  an  adjoining 
hut,  in  the  very  midst  of  a horde  of  the  enemy.  They  at 
once  evacuated  the  hut  and  retreated. 


22 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


I remember  well  my  actions  and  can  correctly  analyze 
them.  The  first  thing  I did  on  entering  the  hut  was  to 
stand  in  the  space  between  the  windows,  for  the  enemy 
was  firing  into  them,  and  thus  escape  their  bullets.  Naz- 
aroff,  who  followed  me,  did  the  same,  having  success- 
fully cleared  the  fatal  distance  between  the  ramparts  and 
the  hut  ; but  many  of  the  men  who  followed  suit  were  lost, 
some  were  killed,  more  wounded,  and  a few,  carried  away  by 
the  excitement  of  pursuing  the  enemy,  were  taken  prisoners 
and  had  their  heads  cut  off.  One  man  nearly  knocked  me 
down.  He  was  shot  in  the  head  and  fell  against  me,  com- 
pletely covering  my  coat  with  blood.  He  gave  a groan,  and 
I carried  him  out,  but  he  died  very  soon,  throwing  me  a 
reproachful  look  which  seemed  to  ask  me,  “ Why  did  you 
lure  me  to  my  death  ? ” Those  glances  of  the  dying  remain 
engraved  on  the  mind  forever. 

I remember  when  General  Kaufman  visited  the  wounded 
after  the  action  of  Tehopanata  on  May  ist,  otherwise  known 
as  the  first  battle  of  Samarcand,  which  resulted  in  our  taking 
the  town,  and  how  he  went  up  to  a young  officer  dying 
from  a ball  in  the  head.  Standing  close  by  I heard  the 
wounded  officer  answering  the  kind  and  sympathetic  inquiries 
of  the  general  quietly  and  courteously.  But  when  Kaufman 
told  him  that  the  principal  work  had  been  done,  the  enemy 
routed  and  the  town  taken,  the  wounded  man  did  not  reply, 
but  only  returned  a most  peculiar,  fierce,  evil  look  ! 

The  enemy  retreated,  but  continued  to  worry  us  with 
continual  firing  to  such  an  extent  that  I persuaded  Nazaroff 
to  assume  the  offensive.  We  jumped  over  the  earthworks, 
and  with  a hearty  cheer  charged  the  enemy’s  flank,  but  turn- 
ing around  to  look,  I saw  that  no  one  was  following  me.  The 
men  were  huddled  together  in  a heap,  like  so  many  sheep. 
They  kept  cheering  and  firing,  but  not  a man  moved.  Naz- 
aroff’s  thrashing  them  with  his  sabre  was  entirely  fruit- 
less ; he  called  them  cowards  and  poltroons,  but  even  that 
was  in  vain.  In  vain  I shouted  : “ Follow  me,  brothers, 
follow  me  !”  No  one  followed  me.  I was  quite  hoarse,  and 
my  patience  exhausted,  so  I turned  to  Nazaroff  : “ They 
won’t  move,  Nieolay  Nicolaievitch  ; let  us  beat  a retreat  ! ” 
The  drummer  sounded  a retreat  and  we  returned.  Why 
did  the  men  refuse  to  advance  ? We  were  fairly  numerous, 
there  were  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  us,  and  the 


SAMARCAND. 


23 


enemy  was  not  in  force  ; we  could  see  perhaps  a few  hundred 
scattered  about,  evidently  retreating  ; nevertheless  I have  a 
lively  recollection  how  our  foremost  men  slipped  behind,  and 
how  pain  was  written  on  every  face.  I can  only  explain  it 
by  the  supposition  that  our  men  were  afraid  that  by  leaving 
the  fortress  they  would  be  cut  off  and  get  lost  in  the  innumer- 
able streets  and  by-ways.  However,  the  enemy  had  been 
completely  driven  out,  and  our  last  sortie  had  not  been 
without  its  effect,  for  the  enemy  ceased  firing. 

I may  here  mention  that  in  my  opinion  so-called  presenti- 
ments of  death  are  merely  a mdld  form  of  cowardice,  excus- 
able and  easily  understood,  which  disposes  us  to  expect  the 
worst.  If  what  we  were  afraid  would  happen  actuelly  occurs, 
then  we  say  : “ I had  a presentiment  of  this.”  If  it  does  not 
happen  we  promptly  forget  all  our  fears.  A young  officer 
during  this  action  looked  at  the  throng  with  evident  alarm, 
and  sought  refuge  from  the  bullets  and  stones  under  a neigh- 
boring hut.  When  I got  near  him,  he  whispered  to  me  : “ I feel 
that  I shall  be  killed  to-day.”  ‘‘  What  nonsense  ! ” I replied. 
“You  don’t  believe  me?  Well,  you  will  see  ! ” I had  no 
time  to  argue  with  him,  but  I remember  being  struck  by  the 
confidence  with  which  he  spoke.  “ Poor  fellow,”  I said  to 
myself,  “ what  a strong  presentiment  ! Perhaps  he  will 
really  be  killed.”  But  what  happened  ? The  young  fellow 
far  from  being  killed  was  not  even  wounded  ! 

During  the  whole  of  this  affair  we  lost  a large  number  of 
men.  I loaded  in  heaps  two  cart  loads  of  bodies.  Some 
were  stone  dead,  others  were  still  breathing,  or  foaming,  the 
latter  being  principally  those  who  had  taken  iwdka  before  going 
into  action.  We  all  noticed  that  our  gun  did  not  act  any 
more.  Nazaroff  made  inquiries,  and  discovered  that  our 
brave  gunner  in  charge  had  succumbed  to  temptation  and 
prematurely  celebrated  our  victory,  the  result  being  that  his 
bleared  eyes  could  not  see  as  straight  as  before,  and  that  he 
had  jammed  in  a shell  in  loading  the  gun.  The  tube  of  the 
shell  had  got  caught  and  could  not  be  moved  backward  or 
forward.  It  was  lucky  that  we  got  out  of  our  scrape  as  we 
did  ! AVe  were  all  so  tired  that  no  one  cared  to  undertake 
the  removal  of  the  killed  and  wounded. 


24 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


The  bodies  of  those  soldiers  who  had  pursued  the  enemy 
too  far,  and  whose  heads  had  been  cut  off,  were  fearful  to 
look  at  ; their  heads  had  been  cut  down  to  the  shoulders,  so 
as  not  to  miss,  probably,  any  portion  of  the  trophy.  The 
men  stood  round  these  bodies  and  speculated  as  to  whom 
they  belonged  to.  It  was  only  by  particular  marks  on  their 
persons,  and  special  distinctions  that  the  men  could  be  iden- 
tified. It  is  known  that  a reward  is  given  for  every  head 
of  an  enemy,  generally  in  the  form  of  clothes,  and  this  cus- 
tom is  not  only  peculiar  to  Central  Asians,  but  to  Turks,  Alba- 
nians, Montenegrins,  and  others  as  well.  This  ghastly  cir- 
cumstance suggested  a small  picture  in  which  I have  repre- 
sented the  collection  of  these  severed  heads  in  a sack. 

This  action  cost  me  my  cap,  which  was  shot  off  my  head, 
and  an  injury  to  my  musket,  which  was  hit  in  the  barrel  close 
to  my  breast,  so  I came  off  cheaply.  Nazaroff  came  our 
perfectly  whole  and  untouched.  That  man’s  bravery  was  of 
a peculiar  kind  ; the  men  called  him  a ‘‘ dare  devil.” 

The  attacking  force  came  up  so  close  to  us  that  they  had 
even  driven  a standard  into  the  ground  and  fastened  it  to 
one  of  the  huts,  near  the  gates.  It  was  a large  red  standard 
with  letters  on  it,  probably  the  name  of  Allah.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  take  it  down,  because  the  enemy  were  lodged  in  the 
houses  in  the  street  opposite,  and  were  firing  at  us.  I deter- 
mined to  haul  down  this  flag  which  was  a disgrace  to  our 
fortress,  and,  notwithstanding  Nazaroff’s  opposition,  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  it,  although  the  bullets  rattled  round  me 
while  I was  unfastening  it.  I carried  my  trophy  in  triumph 
on  its  long  pole  and  handed  it  over  to  our  father,  Nazaroff. 
What  did  he  do  with  it  ? Did  he  give  it  to  the  commandant  ? 
Did  he  place  it  in  our  military  church  ? Nothing  of  the  kind. 
To  my  horror  he  gave  it  to  his  men  to  make  leggings  of. 
When  I afterward  had  occasion  to  inspect  the  flags  and 
standards  round  Kaufman’s  tent,  I did  not  see  any  as  big  or 
as  handsome  as  this  one. 

What  annoyed  me  more  than  anything,  however,  was 
to  find  that  my  horse,  when  I went  to  look  for  it,  was  tied  up 
with  a rope.  This  meant,  that  while  I was  fighting  for  my 
country,  one  of  the  Cossacks,  probably,  who  had  been  driven 
out  to  aid  us,  had  stolen  my  bridle.  This  I had  not  ex- 
pected. 


SAMARCAND, 


25 


OOaNIH 


26 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


When  all  was  over,  Nazaroff  called  me  to  come  and  have 
some  ‘‘  sour-stuff  ” again.  When  we  came  into  the  palace 
of  Tamerlane  every  one  flocked  to  thank  us — Jews,  Tartars 
and  Persians,  even  our  own  wounded,  crawled  out  to  hail 
Nazaroff.  I can  imagine  how  awful  the  rattle  and  roar  of 
musketry  and  cannon  must  have  sounded  to  them,  in  momen- 
tary dread  lest  the  flood-gates  should  give  way  and  the  deluge 
swallow  them  up.  Of  course  at  a distance  the  noise  seemed 
much  more  terrible  than  it  did  to  us  who  were  in  the  thick  of  it. 

Our  friends,  the  merchants,  embraced  us  ; they  confessed 
they  had  never  heard  such  a din  before,  and  that  they  had 
been  praying  all  the  time.  You  are  wounded,”  said  one 
pointing  to  the  blood-stains  on  my  coat,  and  I had  to  explain 
how  a comrade  had  decorated  me  with  those  spots.  On  look- 
ing at  my  damaged  leg,  I discovered  that  blood  was  running 
out  of  a small  wound  in  the  ankle.  Trubtchaninoff  came  up 
quite  horrified,  and  wanted  me  to  see  the  doctor,  but  as 
neither  clothes  nor  linen  were  torn,  it  was  clear  that  my 
wound  was  a simple  bruise,  and  I was  ashamed  to  say  that  I 
had  been  wounded  by  a stone. 

We  v/ent  to  see  Slujenko.  I think  he  recognized  us,  but 
could  not  speak.  We  were  told  he  was  in  horrible  agony, 
and  a day  later  he  died. 

Returning  to  the  gates,  we  found  several  officers  who  had 
come  to  obtain  particulars  of  the  action.  They  heard  how  I 
had  fought  without  sparing  myself,  and  heartily  congratu- 
lated me,  declaring  that  I would  receive  the  first  cross, 
thinking  thereby  to  please  me.  But  I strongly  protested 
against  it,  for  I must  confess  that  mixed  with  a certain 
amount  of  vanity  which  this  adulation  called  forth  there 
was  also  a strong  feeling  of  disgust.  Perhaps  the  finest 
moments  of  my  life  were  experienced  during  those  two  days 
which  1 passed  in  a friendship,  almost  a brotherhood,  with 
people  whose  energies  were  all  directed  toward  one  common 
object,  recognized  by  all  and  dear  to  all — the  defence  of  the 
fortress.  1 can  honestly  say  that  the  idea  of  any  kind  of 
reward  never  entered  my  mind,  while  our  people  were  reckon- 
ing services,  tattling  over  what  had  been  done,  and  calcu- 
lating the  decorations,  and  the  probabilities  of  their  being 
bestowed.  ‘‘  Good  heavens,  spare  me,  gentlemen  ! ” In  my 
disgust  I seized  my  musket  and  ran  up  into  the  tower  near 
our  gates,  to  see  if  I could  bag  a hare  or  two. 


SAMARCAND. 


2; 


In  the  evening  two  officers  came  to  see  us  from  the  other 
gates,  to  hear  how  we  were  getting  on.  As  everything  was 
quiet,  I invited  them  to  walk  beyond  the  gates  along  our 
boulevard — that  is,  along  the  street  that  we  had  burned  down, 
among  the  dead.  Taking  their  arms,  I led  them  out  beyond 
the  earthworks,  Nazaroff,  Tcherkarscff,  and  the  other  officers 
following  us.  To  be  candid,  the  extreme  quiet  was  rather 
wearisome.  Nowand  then  a dog  howled,  or  the  fire  crackled 
in  a house  that  was  not  yet  quite  destroyed  ; the  whistling  of 
bullets  about  a yard  from  where  we  w^ere,  gave  us  to  under- 
stand that  we  were  being  watched,  and  the  sound  of  approach- 
ing voices  quite  convinced  us  of  the  wisdom  of  getting  home 
as  quickly  as  we  could,  for  we  had  come  out  unarmed. 

As  soon  as  it  became  quite  dark,  Nazaroff  made  another 
sortie.  We  burned  many  more  houses  that  stood  along  the 
walls  where  we  had  originally  taken  our  stand.  When  the 
light  of  the  flames  attracted  the  attention  of  the  besiegers 
we  discreetly  retired,  without  losing  a single  man. 

Nazaroff  was  again  in  his  slippers  and  nearly  burned 
his  feet,  which,  however,  did  not  cure  him.  Cemfort  was 
dearer  to  him  than  his  feet. 

* 

On  the  following  day,  the  third  of  the  siege,  the  attacks 
were  less  severe,  although  the  firing  was  not  discontinued, 
sometimes  growing  very  warm,  and  then  again  quieting 
down. 

Nazaroff  made  a sortie  a little  further  into  the  town,  to 
burn  down  the  whole  of  the  second  street  around  the  wall — 
an  elementary  precaution  which  the  commander-in-chief 
should  have  taken  before,  but  which  he  had  avoided  from 
kindness  of  heart,  not  wishing  to  subject  the  inhabitants  to 
more  privations  than  he  could  help  ; the  result  being  that  we 
lost  a large  number  of  men,  and  were  nearly  compelled  to 
evacuate  the  fortress,  the  fall  of  which  would  have  been 
the  signal  for  a general  rising  in  Central  Asia.  If  a regular 
space  had  been  cleared  all  round  the  fortress,  an  attack  upon 
it,  if  not  rendered  impossible,  would  at  least  have  been  more 
difficult. 

The  detachment  ordered  for  the  sortie,  after  leaving  a 
section  of  officers  and  men  at  the  Bokhara  gates,  marched  to 
the  Djuzak  gates.  After  firing  from  the  gun  and  giving  a 


28 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


hearty  cheer,  Nazaroff  jumped  like  a cat  over  the  ramparts. 
I followed  him  and  ran  ahead,  and  on  arriving  at  a turning 
in  the  first  street  of  shops,  I stopped  and  called  others.  Be- 
fore me  I could  see  running  in  great  disorder  a large  number 
of  people,  some  of  whom  turned  and  fired,  but  the  majority 
were  without  muskets,  and  had  nothing  but  clubs  with  spiked 
balls  attached  to  them  by  chains,  and  swords.  They  were  all 
fleeing  for  their  lives.  With  loud  cheers  we  ran  along  the 
streets. 

I was  rushing  on  in  front,  and,  carried  away  by  the  chase 
of  a couple  of  fellows,  I turned  a corner  to  the  right ; the 
fugitives  turned  to  the  right  again,  and  I followed  them. 
The  first  ran  into  a court-yard,  but  I overtook  the  second. 
He  leaned  against  a corner,  and  waited  for  me  with  his  club. 
I charged  him  with  my  bayonet,  but  his  heavily  wadded 
overcoat  protected  him  ; he  threw  himself  desperately  on  the 
bayonet,  warded  off  the  blow,  and  assaulted  me  with  his 
weapon.  We  now  set  to  with  our  fists.  I could  find  nothing 
better  to  do  than  to  beat  him  about  the  head.  My  hands 
were  full  of  matches  for  setting  fire  to  the  houses  ; these 
matches  ignited  and  burned  my  hand.  Finding  himself 
attacked  in  so  primitive  a manner,  my  opponent,  a strong 
fellow  with  gray  hair,  took  courage,  let  go  his  weapon,  and 
proceeded  to  disarm  me.  At  this  juncture  the  other  fellow, 
who  had  fled  into  a court-yard,  came  to  his  assistance.  I 
knew  that  I should  be  immediately  killed,  there  was  no  one 
near,  but  I shouted  with  the  energy  of  desperation  though 
without  hope  of  deliverance  : “ Brothers,  to  the  rescue  ! ” 

and  the  men  heard  me.  One  of  our  fellows  came  running 
up,  his  musket  at  his  hip,  ready  to  thrust  his  bayonet  into 
my  adversary,  who,  however,  threw  himself  upon  the  soldier 
and  seized  his  bayonet.  The  soldier,  with  an  upward  jerk, 
freed  the  bayonet  and  thrust  it  through  his  opponent’s  body. 
I was  grateful  for  this  deliverance,  and  promised  the  man  ten 
roubles  for  saving  me,  but  even  this  lesson  did  not  cure  me, 
and  I got  into  a worse  scrape  immediately  afterward. 

There  was  a fresh  cheer,  and,  chasing  the  fleeing  foe, 
some  of  whom  had  jumped  into  a shop,  I ran  after  them, 
again  leaving  my  comrades  far  behind.  Suddenly  these  fel- 
lows set  upon  me,  several  of  them  at  once,  one  of  them 
showering  blows  upon  me,  while  the  others  tried  to  wrest  my 
musket  from  me.  I had  only  one  idea  in  my  mind  at  the 


SAMARCAND, 


29 


time  : I thought  what  a disgrace  it  would  be  if  they  took  my 
gun  away  ! Again  my  comrades  came  to  the  rescue,  and 
killed  my  adversaries. 

From  time  to  time  we  stopped  to  set  fire  to  the  shops 
and  bazaars.  Soon  the  whole  street  was  in  flames,  and  the 
smoke  obscured  everything. 

Although  here  there  were  nothing  but  shops,  the  men 
behaved  remarkably  well,  and  did  not  even  think  of  plunder. 
They  killed  every  one  who  fell  in  their  path,  but  committed 
no  acts  of  cruelty.  Once  only  did  I see  a soldier  put  his 
bayonet  into  a dead  man’s  eye  and  turn  it  round  so  that  it 
gave  a peculiar  squeak.  I was  just  going  to  rebuke  him  for 
what  he  had  done,  when  I heard  a smack,  the  resonant  sound 
of  a box  on  the  ear,  and  the  voice  of  Nazaroff  saying  : You 

coward!  pulling  a dead  man  about!”  We  proceeded  to 
the  Bokhara  gates,  losing  but  two  or  three  men,  and  these 
only  wounded. 

On  our  return  we  were  met  by  the  commandant  and  sev- 
eral officers  lie  seemed  much  alarmed  at  the  news  that 
Nazaroff  with  his  handful  of  men  should  have  risked  an 
attack,  but  on  hearing  how  small  our  losses  had  been,  was 
reassured.  We  diew  ourselves  up,  I standing  at  the  right 
wing.  Stempel,  in  the  most  charming  and  flattering  manner, 
thanked  us  lor  repelling  the  enemy  and  for  our  sortie.  I 
received  for  my  share  a few  highly  flattering  words  which 
brought  tears  to  my  eyes.  It  appeared  that  the  gallant 
Stempel  had  been  told  that  Nazaroff  had  made  all  his  men 
drunk  and  run  away  into  the  town  with  them.  Such  news 
might  well  alarm  any  one,  and  so  he  had  hurried  to  the 
spot,  and  found  it  was  untrue. 

My  adventures  created  a good  deal  of  amusement  and 
laughter.  The  first  was  told  by  my  rescuer  ; the  others  had 
not  witnessed  the  combat.  “ 1 heard  shouts  of  help,”  he 
said,  “ and  ran  to  the  spot,  and  there  I saw  Vassili  Vassilie- 
vitch  as  white  as  a sheet,  wrestling  with  an  old  Sart.”  The 
second  adventure  took  place  in  the  open  street  ; the  officers 
saw  it,  and  chaffed  me  unmercifully.  “Tell  us,  Vassili  Vas- 
silievitch,”  they  said,  “ how  it  was  that  your  gun  was  nearly 
taken  away.”  or  “ I say,  Vassili  VassilieviLch,  they  called 
you  into  the  shop,  didn’t  they  ? ” 

I tormented  myself  with  the  question  why  I did  not  pull 
out  my  revolver.  I can  confess  now  that  I had  a small 


30 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Smith  and  Wesson  in  my  pocket,  and  though  it  had  not  a 
large  bore,  I could  have  killed  my  man  with  it  at  so  short  a 
distance  ; but  I had  forgotten  all  about  it.  But  afterward,  in 
the  hours  when  one  reviews  one’s  mistakes  and  faults,  I fre- 
quently went  over  every  incident  of  those  encounters,  and 
pulled  out  my  revolver  and  shot  it  off  once  or  twice,  or  did 
as  the  soldier  did,  jerked  the  bayonet  out  of  my  adversary’s 
hand  and  ran  him  through.  Although  I consoled  myself 
with  the  reflection  that  this  was  easier  for  the  .soldier  to  do 
than  for  me,  as  I held  my  opponent  with  one  hand,  still  I 
could  not  forgive  myself  for  my  awkwardness,  and  have  only 
recently  soothed  my  mind  on  the  subject  by  the  reflection 
that  even  the  simplest  thing  requires  practice. 

It  was  as  before  frightfully  hot,  and  towards  the  end  of 
May.  The  sun  shed  its  rays  with  terrible  fierceness,  and  the 
bodies  lying  round  our  gates  began  to  affect  the  air  notice- 
ably. But  we  had  to  bear  it  while  we  were  being  continually 
attacked  ; as  it  had  been  impossible  to  leave  the  fortress 
without  risking  the  lives  of  our  men.  Now  that  things  were 
getting  more  quiet,  Nazaroff  determined  to  make  another 
sortie  for  the  purpose  of  burying  the  dead.  We  were  pro- 
tected by  a chain  of  skirmishers  while  engaged  in  this 
duty. 

The  greater  portion  of  this  work  fell  on  me,  and  although 
I am  exceedingly  averse  to  such  odors,  it  made  the  men  so 
sick  they  were  unable  to  do  the  work.  Tcherkasoff  could 
stand  it  but  poor  Voronetz,  after  a few  attempts,  went 
away  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but 
to  plant  my  bayonet  in  the  corpses  and  drag  them  to  the 
ditch.  Near  the  walls  lay  the  carcass  of  a gray  horse  that 
had  fallen  on  the  first  day  during  one  of  the  attacks.  I saw 
it  then,  a fine  handsome  animal,  ridden  by  some  leading 
officer,  who  was  galloping  at  the  head  of  a horde  up  to  a 
shrapnel  which  blew  master  and  horse  to  pieces.  He  was 
carried  away  by  his  men,  but  the  horse  was  left  blown  out  to 
extraordinary  dimensions.  As  soon  as  we  moved  it  from  its 
place  the  carcass  fell  to  pieces.  Then  a scene  ensued  that  is 
difficult  to  describe.  We  all  collapsed — not  literally  of 
course,  but  we  crept  off  thoroughly  nauseated,  and  as  to  tack- 
ling that  carcass  again,  it  seemed  impossible.  However,  a 


SAMARCAND. 


31 


few  men  managed  to  cart  it  away,  and  thus  get  rid  of  the 
fragments  that  lay  about. 

Among  our  men,  it  must  be  confessed,  there  were  few 
who  advanced  cheerfully  into  certain  danger.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  some  of  them  were  remarkably  brave  fellows. 
For  instance,  Ivanoff,  a muscular,  thick-headed,  fair  fellow, 
who  went  everywhere  without  seeming  to  know  that  such  a 
thing  as  danger  existed.  Whether  he  had  anything  on  his 
mind  I am  unable  to  say,  but  he  appeared  to  be  always  calm 
and  equable.  He  went  through  those  days  at  Samarcand 
without  a scratch,  but  I was  told  that  he  was  killed  in  a later 
expedition. 

Thanks  to  the  awkwardness  of  this  brave  fellow,  about 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  us,  who  were  in  the  tower  shooting, 
were  very  nearly  lost.  The  attacking  force  were  working  at 
something  close  to  the  ramparts.  We  suspected  they  might 
be  digging  a mine  under  the  walls  ; consequently,  as  we  did 
not  wish  to  risk  the  lives  of  our  men  by  a sortie,  we  were 
compelled  to  throw  down  a few  hand-grenades.  Ivanoff 
undertook  to  throw  them.  He  climbed  onto  the  beams  on 
the  top,  and  there  carried  on  a whispered  conversation  with 
his  comrades.  What  are  you  standing  there  for  ? Give 
them  to  me  ! ” “Take  them  and  go  up  higher  ! ” “ How 

am  I to  go  up  higher?  go  higher  yourself!”  “And  so  I 
will  ! ” He  took  a grenade,  swung  it  about,  and  threw  it, 
but  it  fell  in  our  midst.  We  were  all  transfixed,  myself  among 
the  number.  I then  jumped  out  of  the  tower  and  shouted  ; 
“ Save  yourselves,  brothers  ! ” All  followed  my  example, 
Ivanoff  among  the  number,  and  had  just  time  to  get  out 
when  a roar  was  heard,  which  was  all  the  more  terrible  for 
being  in  so  narrow  a space.  A mass  of  bricks  and  stones 
was  lifted  and  thrown  about.  Poor  Ivanoff  caught  it  from 
his  comrades.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do  for  shame, 
so  I took  his  part  and  told  them  to  leave  him  alone  ; but  a 
few  minutes  later  I heard  them  again  chaffing  him.  “ So 
you  wanted  to  kill  us  all,  did  you  ? ” 

Hi  ‘ 'f: 

We  learned  that  on  the  very  first  day  of  the  attack  the 
commandant  had  sent  a native  orderly  to  General  Kaufman 
with  orders  to  return  with  an  answer.  As  he  was  promised 
one  hundred  roubles  if  he  successfully  brought  back  the 


32 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


message,  besides  various  exemptions,  it  was  surmised  that  he 
had  been  killed,  for  he  did  not  return,  and  this  was  found 
afterwards  to  have  been  the  case.  Every  day  Major  Serroff 
sought  out  reliable  men,  who  undertook  for  a remuneration 
to  carry  to  the  commander-in-chief  news  of  our  unenviable 
condition.  The  commandant  wrote  little  notes  in  German,  in 
which  he  stated  that  the  attacks  did  not  cease  ; that  we  were 
beginning  to  suffer  from  want  of  water  and  salt  ; that  the 
number  of  killed  and  wounded  was  large  in  proportion  to  the 
garrison,  and  that  in  a word  our  position  was  critical.  But 
there  was  no  answer  ! Later  we  discovered  that  after  the 
fierce  attack  of  the  second  day  the  commandant  called  a 
council  of  war,  in  which  it  was  decided  to  fight  to  the  last, 
and  that  if  we  were  beaten — that  is  to  say  if  the  enemy 
effected  an  entrance  into  the  fortress — Vv^e  were  to  collect  in 
the  court-yard  of  the  Emir’s  palace,  there  to  fight  as  long 
as  possible,  and  then  to  blow  ourselves  up  ! This  was  a 
pretty  decision  ! Nazaroff,  I subsequently  learned,  was 
opposed  to  it,  and  offered  in  the  event  of  the  fortress  being 
taken  from  us,  to  fight  his  way  with  the  remainder  of  the 
garrison  to  the  main  body  of  the  army.  Although  his  propo- 
sal was  not  accepted,  he  told  me  afterward  that  he  would 
nevertheless  have  carried  it  out  on  his  own  responsibility. 
As  for  Stempel,  this  feeble,  careworn,  charming  but  taciturn 
Russian -German,  who,  by-the-by,  could  scarcely  speak  even 
German,  would  have  carried  out  the  decision  of  the  council, 
and  unhesitatingly  dispatched  us  to  that  bourne  from  whence 
no  traveller  returns. 

We  young  people  knew  nothing  of  all  this  at  the  time, 
and  were  far  from  thinking  that  such  bloodthirsty  decisions 
had  been  arrived  at  by  our  commanders.  On  the  third  day 
it  was  ascertained  from  information  obtained  by  Serroff  that 
General  Kaufman  was  coming  to  raise  the  siege.  By  way  of 
encouraging  the  garrison,  the  commandant  informed  us  of 
the  news,  but  it  contained  only  a small  particle  of  truth. 
We  afterward  learned  that  the  real  state  of  affairs  was  as 
follows  : None  of  the  orderlies  whom  we  had  dispatched  to 
Kaufman  actually  reached  him.  They  were  all  caught  by  the 
enemy  and  had  their  throats  cut,  notwithstanding  that  they 
all  went  on  foot,  or  more  properly  speaking,  crawled  away. 
Kaufman,  however,  after  defeating  the  Bokharians  at  Zera- 
Bulak,  did  not  push  on  any  further,  and  this  was,  as  usual. 


SAMARCAND. 


33 


carried  more  rapidly  than  the  wind  to  the  ears  of  the  natives 
at  Samarcand,  and  considerably  diminished  their  courage. 

After  defeating  the  Emir,  Kaufman  called  a council  of 
war  to  consider  whether  he  should  push  on  or  return.  My 
friend  General  Heins  strongly  advised  a march  on  Bokhara 
at  once  and  the  destruction  of  the  town,  from  whence  terms 
could  be  dictated  to  the  Emir.  But  General  Golovatcheff 
held  a contrary  opinion.  He  pointed  to  the  fact  that  no 
news  had  been  received  from  Samarcand,  and  to  the  obsti- 
nate rumors  that  the  town  was  in  revolt,  and  that  the  fortress 
by  some  accounts  was  being  stormed,  and  according  to 
others  had  already  been  retaken  by  the  insurgents,  assisted  by 
reinforcements  from  Shah-Risyab’s  men.  General  Kauf- 
man, who  was  himself  much  concerned  at  not  having  heard 
from  us,  adopted  Golovatcheff  s view,  and  this  saved  us ; for 
had  Kaufman  gone  on  to  Bokhara,  we  should  have  been 
unable  to  hold  out.  Speaking  for  myself,  one  of  the  most 
ardent  and  indefatigable  of  the  defenders  of  Samarcand,  I 
began  to  feel  too  exhausted  from  the  effects  of  the  fierce 
attack  of  the  second  day,  and  could  not  help  asking  myself 
the  question,  ‘‘  Supposing  this  goes  on  much  longer,  have 
you  strength  enough  to  hold  out  ? ” And  I felt  compelled 
to  reply  that  it  was  exceedingly  doubtful. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  God  has  given  wisdom  to 
babes  and  sucklings.  One  general  was  clever  and  talented  ; 
the  other  was  brave,  but  had  no  great  qualities  nor  much 
intelligence.  The  first,  however,  made  a mistake,  whereas 
the  other  discerned  rightly.  He  deserves  our  gratitude  for 
that,  and  may  God  rest  his  soul,  for  he  died  not  long  ago, 
and  in  very  straitened  circumstances,  too. 

Notwithstanding  the  information  that  the  main  body  of 
the  army  was  marching  to  our  rescue,  the  days  passed  and 
there  was  no  sign  of  help  arriving.  As  before,  we  exchanged 
shots  from  morning  to  night,  and  now  and  again  attacks 
were  made  on  us,  but  they  were  none  of  them  so  desperate  as 
the  former  ones.  We  could  see  that  the  attacking  force  was 
less  numerous,  but  it  was  not  until  later  that  we  discovered 
that  Shah-Risyab’s  forces,  dreading  the  vengeance  of  Yarim- 
Padishah,  the  half  Tsar,  as  they  called  the  governor-general 
(Kaufman),  had  been  gradually  withdrawn. 

* * 


3 


34 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Our  merchants  screwed  up  their  courage  to  such  a height 
during  this  period  that  a whole  crowd  of  them,  under  the 
escort  of  a commissariat  officer,  appeared  on  the  ramparts,  to 
see  and  be  seen.  But  alas  ! their  commanding  officer,  the 
official,  was  instantly  killed  by  a bullet,  and  his  whole  com- 
pany at  once  turned  and  ran  home  again,  convinced  it  was 
wiser  to  restrain  their  curiosity  for  the  future. 

We  made  no  further  sorties,  for  we  had  lost  a very  large 
proportion  of  our  men  as  it  was,  and  our  commandant  did 
not  like  to  risk  more  lives.  Nevertheless,  we  used  to  sally  out 
and  burn  the  neighboring  houses.  Nazaroff  burned  everything 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Bokhara  gates  in  the  direction  from 
which  we  expected  the  main  body  to  arrive.  In  this  he  was 
perhaps  actuated  by  a somewhat  malicious  motive,  as  he  him- 
self confessed  he  wanted  to  show  the  commander-in-chief 
the  precaution  he  ought  to  have  taken  for  the  security  of  the 
fortress  before  leaving  it. 

Kaufman,  however,  beside  his  many  other  estimable  qual- 
ities, was  a man  of  great  kindness  of  heart.  He  would  not 
allow  our  men  to  lay  a finger  on  the  inhabitants  when  he 
occupied  Samarcand,  and  so  he  could  not  of  course  find  it  in 
him  to  destroy  a third  of  the  town  round  the  citadel  and 
leave  so  many  people  homeless  who  had  as  yet  done  nothing 
officially  to  bring  down  upon  them  such  a punishment. 
This  is  the  only  explanation  possible  for  his  having  left  the 
citadel  in  so  defenceless  a condition. 

We  had  enough  bread  ; the  salt,  as  already  stated,  was 
running  short  ; there  was  also  enough  meat,  but  the  horses 
were  badly  off  for  hay,  and  so  we  had  to  organize  foraging 
expeditions,  according  to  the  rules  of  warfare.  We  sallied 
out  through  secret  passages  under  the  ramparts,  which  were 
generally  m the  ruins,  and  lay  down  in  a chain  of  skirmish- 
ers pouring  a continual  fire  into  the  neighboring  gardens, 
while  our  fellows  mowed  a respectable  quantity  of  hay.  We 
then  retreated  quietly  into  the  fortress,  scarcely  losing  a 
man. 

With  the  expectation  of  a speedy  release,  the  officer  in 
charge  of  our  artillery  determined  to  punish  the  mosque  from 
the  minaret  of  which  the  enemy  had  fired  on  our  wounded. 
The  trader,  Trubtchaninoff,  knowing  my  weakness  for 
mosques,  informed  me  of  this.  ‘‘ Vassili  Vassilievitch  ! ” he 
exclaimed,  they  are  knocking  off  the  plaster  ! ” This  was 


SAMARCAND, 


35 


his  euphemism  for  the  tile-work  with  which  the  mosque  was 
decorated,  and  which  he  knew  I greatly  admired.  I rushed 


TOMB  OF  TAMERLANS. 


3^ 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


off  at  once  and  implored  the  officer  to  spare  the  minaret.  He 
acceded  to  my  request,  although  several  shots  had  already 
been  driven  into  it. 

^ ❖ 

On  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  of  the  siege,  a man  appeared  at 
the  gates  waving  a piece  of  paper  in  his  hand.  Nazaroff  gave 
orders  not  to  fire,  and  called  him  up.  A strong,  bearded  fel- 
low he  was,  and  apparently  no  coward,  for  he  came  right  up 
to  our  guns.  He  showed  us  the  manuscript  he  had  brought, 
but  it  was  in  a language  we  could  not  understand,  and  Naz- 
aroff confided  him  to  me  to  be  escorted  to  the  commandant. 
I took  his  paper,  slung  my  musket  over  my  shoulder  and 
conducted  the  messenger,  who  carried  himself  with  great 
dignity,  to  the  Emir’s  court,  where  our  wounded  were 
camped.  1 bound  up  his  eyes  with  my  handkerchief,  and 
told  him  in  his  native  language  not  to  be  afraid.  “ I am 
afraid  of  nothing,”  he  answered.  Putting  my  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  I led  him  to  headquarters,  where  I removed  his 
bandage.  Serroff,  who  knew  the  native  language  well,  was 
just  at  that  time  with  Stempel.  He  took  the  paper,  read 
it  over,  and  then  commenced  swearing  at  the  man.  It 
appeared  that  he  had  brought  us  a proposal  of  surrender. 

You  have  no  chance  of  rescue,”  the  leaders  of  the  revolt 
had  written  ; “ surrender  the  fortress,  and  we  will  let  you  go 
free.”  “Is  that  all  ?”  I asked  of  the  colonel.  “ That  is 
all;  you  may  go  ! ” I returned,  and  informed  our  fellows  of 
the  nature  of  the  proposal  that  had  been  made  us,  and  the 
very  ungracious  reception  accorded  it  by  our  commandant. 

The  men  had  so  often  heard  that  they  were  going  to  be 
rescued,  that,  as  no  rescue  had  yet  arrived,  they  recommenced 
grumbling.  “ Wc  shall  have  to  winter  here,”  they  said.  “ It 
is  clear  they  have  forgotten  all  about  us.”  At  last,  earl}^ 
in  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day,  there  arrived  at  the  Bo- 
khara gates,  from  whence  we  expected  the  troops,  a young 
native  orderly,  who  had  successfully  reached  General  Kauf- 
man, and  had  returned  with  an  answer.  We  looked  on  him 
as  our  deliverer,  and  his  uninteresting  dirty  faee,  wrapped 
round  with  still  dirtier  rags,  seemed  to  us  to  be  almost  in- 
spired. However,  he  appeared  to  recognize  the  importance  of 


SAMARCAND. 


37 


his  mission,  and  beside  the  pleasure  he  must  have  felt  at  his 
achievement,  the  reception  of  300  roubles  as  reward,  and  of 
the  soldiers’  St.  George’s  Cross  (if  I am  not  mistaken),  must 
have  caused  him  a still  more  agreeable  sensation.  “ Hold 
out,”  General  Kaufman  wrote  to  the  commandant,  “ to- 
morrow I shall  be  with  you.”  What  a tremendous  cheer  rang 
through  that  fortress  when  the  contents  of  the  letter  were  made 
known  ! Of  course  the  rebels  understood  that  their  game 
was  up,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a few  desperate  characters, 
they  did  not  annoy  us  very  much  more.  It  appeared  after- 
ward that  this  was  the  only  messenger  who  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  main  body,  which  wms  then  already  on  its  way 
back  ; the  other  six  or  seven  had  been  caught  and  killed. 

The  exchange  of  shots  was  still  kept  up  as  before,  and  that 
night  the  alarm  was  given  and  an  attack  made,  but  it  was 
evident  that  our  siege  had  come  to  an  end. 

That  night  the  main  body  of  the  army,  which  had  halted 
within  an  easy  distance,  could  hear  our  bring.  General  Kauf- 
man in  particular  was  made  very  anxious  by  the  shots  from 
our  cannon.  He  told  me  afterward  that  he  was  kept  awake 
all  night  by  fear  that  the  fortress  might  be  taken  after  all. 

❖ 

'I'  jfc 

The  next  day,  notwithstanding  the  entreaties  of  Nazaroff 
and  the  other  officers  that  I should  go  out  to  meet  the  troops, 
I went  into  my  hut,  undressed,  and  lay  down  for  the  first  time 
for  eight  days  between  a clean  pair  of  sheets.  I tried  to  get 
to  sleep,  but  could  not;  my  nerves  were  at  too  great  a tension. 
I was  lying  in  a half  waking,  half  sleeping  condition,  wdren 
Nazaroff  rushed  into  my  room.  “ Vassili  Vassilievitch  ! ” he 
shouted,  “ I have  got  a fresh  battalion  ; let  us  go  and  burn 
the  town  ! ” don’t  want  to  go,”  I said.  Won’t  you  ? ” 
‘‘  No,”  I repeated.  “ Well,  then  I will  go  alone.  Let  it  be 
said  that  Nazaroff  burned  Samarcand  ! ” Soon  an  enormous 
cloud  of  smoke  told  us  that  Nazaroff  had  not  lost  any  time  : 
he  had  set  lire  to  the  greatest  bazaar  of  Central  Asia. 

The  tender-hearted  Kaufman,  who  felt  that  a severe  ex- 
ample should  be  made  of  the  insurgents,  had  intentionally 
passed  the  previous  nights  a few  miles  off  from  Samarcand, 
so  as  to  give  the  inhabitants  time  to  escape,  especially  the 
women  and  children.  But  now  he  gave  orders  that  the  town 
should  be  exemplarily  punished,  and  that  no  one  should  be 


38 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


spared.  A commissariat  officer,  who  was  one  of  the  volunteer 
avengers,  told  me  the  following  incident  : He  ran  into  a hut 
with  a few  soldiers  and  came  upon  an  old  woman,  who  re- 
ceived them  with  the  words,  “ Ahman  ! ahman  ! ” (good 
health).  “ We  saw,  ” he  said,  “ that  the  sacks  upon  which  she 
was  sitting  were  moving.  We  looked,  and  found  a boy  of 
about  sixteen.  He  was  dragged  out  and  killed,  and  his  old 
grandmother,  too  ! ” 

The  soldiers  were  allowed  to  inspect  the  shops,  and  what 
wonderful  things  they  brought  away  with  them  ! It  was  most 
mirth-provoking  to  see  them  arrayed  in  all  the  gorgeousness 
of  native  dresses,  which  they  selected  at  random,  vying  with 
each  other  as  to  who  should  wear  the  most  glaring  colors. 
For  a few  roubles  a perfect  ethnographical  treasure  could  have 
been  purchased  from  them.  As  for  the  wealth  of  old  work, 
carved  doors,  and  columns  that  must  have  perished  in  the 
flames,  I feel  miserable  when  I think  of  it. 

Nazaroff  diverted  himself  by  paying  the  town  with  usury 
for  all  the  discomforts  and  trouble  it  had  given  him  during 
those  eight  days.  He  especially  vented  his  spite  against 
the  mosque  of  Shirdari  with  the  minaret,  from  which  such 
good  aim  had  been  taken  at  our  wounded,  and  our  artillery 
park.  have  killed  every  one  in  that  infernal  mosque,” 

he  said  proudly.  As  I knew  the  mollah  of  that  mosque, 
whom  I confess  I secretly  suspected  of  aiding  and  abetting 
the  killing  of  our  wounded  men,  but  in  whose  fate  I took  a 
great  interest,  I asked  one  of  the  officers  who  had  assisted 
Nazaroff  in  this  butchering  expedition,  whether  he  had  found 
many  people  in  the  mosque.  “ No,  not  many,”  he  replied, 
“ the  cowards  ran  away  ! ” I breathed  again.  Only  one 
old  mollah  was  caught,”  he  continued.  “ Would  you  believe 
it,  he  ran  like  a cat  up  to  the  very  top  of  the  minaret.” — 
“ Well  ? ” — ‘‘  Well,  of  course  they  threw  him  down  from  there 
with  bayonets.”  Uff  ! 

* 

I can  still  picture  in  my  mind’s  eye  the  figure  of  General 
Kaufman  sitting  in  our  court-yard  dealing  out,  after  all  that 
preceded,  justice  and  punishment  to  all  sorts  of  people  who 
been  taken  prisoners  for  carrying  arms  or  other  nefarious 
practices.  The  General,  surrounded  by  his  officers,  was  sit- 
ting on  a camp-stool  smoking  a cigarette,  and  was  pronounc- 


SAMARCAND. 


39 


ing  in  a tranquil  dispassionate  voice  his  sentences.  “ Shoot 
him,  shoot  him.”  I accidentally  stopped  to  watch  the  process, 
and  1 saw  among  those  who  were  brought  up,  my  friend  the 
messenger,  who  liad  come  up  to  the  gates  with  the  conditions 
of  surrender.  ‘‘  Is  it  possible  that  even  he  is  going  to  be 
shot?”  I asked  General  Heins,  who  was  standing  close  by. 
“ I know  this  man  to  be  a brave  and  decent  fellow  ? ” Tell 
General  Kaufman,”  he  said,  ‘‘he  will  perhaps  let  him  off  for 
your  sake.”  My  ilbfate  bade  me  apply  to  the  commandant 
before  appealing  to  the  General.  “ Major,  why  are  they 
going  to  punish  this  messenger  ? You  will  remember  that 
he  behaved  remarkably  well.”  “ On  the  contrary,  he  was 
insolent.  You  will  allow  me  to  know  my  own  business.”  I 
saw  that  my  interference  was  distasteful  to  Stempel,  and 
went  away,  thinking  that  one  more  or  less  did  not  signify. 
The  messenger  had  in  the  mean  time  received  the  fatal  sen- 
tence, “ Shoot  him,”  which  he  probably  understood,  for  it 
brought  the  perspiration  to  his  brow.  On  leaving  the  court- 
yard the  poor  fellow  asked  for  something  to  drink.  They 
give  him  some  water  which  he  gulped  down  ; he  wiped  his 
mouth  with  his  robe,  and  then  marched  away  submissively 
toward  the  road  which  leads  to  the  land  “ where  the  wicked 
cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest.” 


RUSSO-TURKISH  WAR. 

II. 

ON  THE  DANUBE, 

1877. 

My  good  friend  General  Hall  introduced  me  to  Generals 
Nepokoitchitski,  Levitski,  and  others  ; and  also,  to  my  great 
astonishment,  to  General  Skobeleff  the  younger.  “ I knew  a 
Skobeleff  in  Turkestan,”  said  I.  “ I am  he.”  “Is  it  possible 
you  have  aged  so  much  ? We  are  old  acquaintances,  then.” 
Skobeleff  had,  in  fact,  changed  very  much  ; he  had  acquired 
a more  manly  appearance,  and  had  adopted  the  bearing  of  a 
general,  and  to  some  extent  a general’s  authoritative  tone.  In 
talking  to  me,  however,  he  soon  fell  into  the  old  friendly  man- 
ner. He  had  just  arrived.  The  two  Crosses  of  the  Order  of 
St.  George  wdiich  he  had  won  in  Turkestan  were  the  subjects 
of  many  witticisms,  and  some  one  said  that  he  must  now  show 
that  he  deserved  them.  This  phrase,  I remember,  met  with 
general  approval  and  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  as  did 
also  the  assertion  that  the  boyish  Skobeleff  could  not  be 
trusted  with  even  a company  of  soldiers.  When  Skobeleff 
heard  that  I was  going  with  his  father,  he  bade  me  tell  him 
that  his  son  would  soon  join  him.  He  had  been  appointed 
chief  of  staff  to  his  father,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Skobeleff, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  advance  guard, — an  appoint- 
ment which  was  an  intentional  disgrace,  considering  his  rank. 

The  detachment  commanded  by  the  elder  Skobeleff  was 
composed  of  two  brigades,  the  first  of  Vv^hich  consisted  of  a 
regiment  of  Don  Cossacks  and  a regiment  of  Kuban  Cossacks, 
while  the  second  v/as  made  up  of  Vladicaucasians,  Ossetes, 
and  Ingushes.  The  first  brigade  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Tutolmin,  a prudent  and  excellent  man,  but  excessively  fond 
of  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  ; the  second  by  Colonel  Wulfert, 


40 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


41 


who  had  been  made  Knight  of  the  Order  of  St.  George  for 
his  distinguished  services  in  the  storming  of  Tashkend. 
Wulfert  was  as  silent  as  Tutolmin  was  loquacious. 

The  following  were  the  officers  in  command  of  the  several 
regiments  : — Of  the  Don  Cossacks,  Denis  Orloff,  a lively,  sym- 
pathetic fellow  and  a good  comrade  ; of  the  Kuban  Cossacks, 
Kucharenko  (son  of  the  General  Kucharenko,  who  is  well 
known  in  the  Caucasus),  an  officer  who  had  all  the  look  of  a 
bold  Caucasian,  though,  as  it  turned  out,  he  was  in  a bad 
state  of  health  ; of  the  Vladicaucasians,  Colonel  Levis — half 
Kussian,  half  Swede—a  stout,  florid,  good-humored,  and 
brave  soldier — a typical  military  man,  in  short  ; of  the  In- 
gushes and  Ossetes,  an  officer  who  was  Russian  in  appearance 
and  in  name — Pankratieff,  if  I remember  rightly. 

I usually  lodged  in  some  peasant’s  house  with  the  elder 
Skobeleff.  He  possessed  a two-wheeled  taj^ataika  (small  cart) 
and  a couple  of  horses.  In  the  morning,  after  the  troops 
had  started,  we  drove  after  them  ; when  he  had  caught  them 
up,  Skobeleff  put  on  his  \mg^  papakha  (Cossack  cap),  mount- 
ed a horse,  rode  round  the  regiments,  greeting  the  officers 
and  men,  and  then  took  his  seat  again  in  the  tarataika,  laid 
the  papakha  under  the  seat,  and  put  on  once  more  his  red 
convoy-cap.  He  had  years  ago  commanded  the  imperial 
convoy,  and  still  wore  the  convoy  uniform  When  we  came 
near  a village  he  never  forgot  to  throw  open  the  flaps  of  his 
overcoat  so  as  to  show  his  smart  tcJieiPesska  embroidered  with 
broad  silver  lace.  The  Roumanians  were  everywhere  much 
impressed  with  the  general’s  stately  and  characteristic  appear- 
ance. I remember  well  how  at  a review  which  the  com- 
mander-in-chief held  at  Galatz  Skobeleff’s  splendid  figure 
filled  me  with  admiration.  He  was  a handsome  man,  with 
great  blue  eyes  and  a full  red  beard,  and  sat  his  little  horse 
as  if  it  were  a part  of  him. 

❖ 

On  the  way  we  told  each  other  stories,  or  Skobeleff 
talked  with  Mishka,  the  coachman,  about  the  bad  shoe- 
ing of  the  near  horse,  or  the  rottenness  of  the  reins,  or  the 
bad  state  of  one  of  the  tires,  etc.  Generally  he  would  wran- 
gle, scold  the  coachman,  and  threaten  to  send  him  away, 
and  after  we  had  crossed  the  frontier  he  would  promise  him 
a sound  thrashing  now  that  the  ordinary  law  was  no  longer 


42 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


in  force.”  But  Mishka  knew  well  enough  that  these  were 
but  idle  threats.  Later  on,  when  the  younger  Skobeleff, 
Michael,  had  joined  our  party,  it  was  often  difficult  to 
determine  which  the  elder  Skobeleff  was  speaking  of  or 
which  he  was  calling — his  son  Misha,  or  his  coachman 
Mishka. 

We  ordinarily  drove  far  ahead  of  the  troops  and  chose  a 
good  place  for  the  midday  halt  ; here  we  would  await  them, 
trying  in  the  interim  to  discover  if  there  were  a house  or  an 
inn  near  us  at  which  to  procure  milk,  fresh  or  sour.  When 
the  officers  came  up,  we  would  take  a cold  breakfast. 

I must  mention  still  a few  more  persons  who  were  gener- 
ally of  our  party.  These  were  Staff-Captain  Sacharoff,  who 
was  now  acting  as  chief  of  staff  to  this  detachment — a 
very  clever  fellow  ; Captain  Derfelden,  a cavalry  officer 
serving  with  our  detachment,  who,  in  spite  of  his  German 
name,  was  a true  Russian  ; and,  lastly.  Captain  Lukasheff,  of 
the  Gatshina  Cuirassiers,  who,  if  I remember  aright,  was 
temporarily  acting  as  aide-de-camp. 

The  detachment  included,  beside  the  troops  already 
mentioned,  a battery  of  Don  Cossack  artillery  ; but  their 
commander  kept  aloof  from  us  and  associated  only  with  his 
own  officers.  The  officers  commanding  the  regiments  of  the 
second  brigade,  as  well  as  Wulfert  himself,  were  seldom 
with  us,  as  they  marched  behind,  and  only  appeared  in  Sko- 
beleff’s  presence  when  they  overtook  us  every  other  day 
during  our  midday  halt. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  our  breakfast  parties  in 
a meadow,  under  shady  trees  or  under  the  projecting  roof  of 
a Roumanian  cottage,  were  very  animated  and  merry.  When 
we  had  rested,  the  signal  would  be  given  to  resume  our 
march,  and  we  would  mount  our  tarataika  once  more  and 
set  off,  followed  by  the  detachment. 

Often  we  would  ask  questions  of  the  peasants,  male  or 
female,  whom  we  met  on  the  road  ; and  our  efforts  to  make 
ourselves  understood  on  these  occasions  gave  us  no  little 
amusement,  “ You  can’t  manage  it,”  Skobeleff  would  say  ; 
“let  me  question  him.”  Sometimes  he  did  actually  succeed 
in  getting  an  answer.  Once  we  turned  off  the  road  to  speak 
to  a Roumanian  who  was  minding  a flock  of  sheep,  and  who 
was  almost  frightened  out  of  his  wits  at  sight  of  the  general. 
Skobeleff  wanted  to  buy  a small  sheep  for  breeding.  He 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


43 


Stretched  out  his  hands  and  bleated  feebly.  The  peasant 
understood  what  he  wanted,  sold  him  the  sheep,  and  looked 
after  us,  smilingly,  for  a long  while.  We  took  the  animal 


into  our  vehicle,  but  presently  had  to  banish  him  to  the 
baggage-wagons,  as  he  was  too  dirty  to  be  a pleasant  travel- 
ling-companion. 


44 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


On  the  arrival  of  the  detachment  at  the  place  where, 
according  to  our  marching  orders,  we  were  to  halt  for  the 
night,  dinner  was  prepared  in  the  house  which  the  general 
chose  for  his  quarters.  We  had  agreed  among  ourselves 
that  Skobeleff  should  provide  the  substantial  viands,  Tutol- 
min  the  wine,  Sacharoff  the  tea  and  sugar,  and  I the  requi- 
site sweets — such,  for  instance,  as  almonds  and  raisins, 
nuts,  etc.  Skobeleff  always  dressed  the  salad  himself,  and, 
as  he  constantly  tasted  it,  his  beard  would  become  covered 
with  green  leaves. 

He  used  often  to  send  out  his  cook  to  one  of  the  neigh- 
boring gardens  to  steal  young  vine-leaves  to  put  into  the 
soup. 

When,  for  some  reason  or  other,  we  were  kept  waiting  for 
dinner,  we  tried  to  kill  time  with  all  kinds  of  absurdities  and 
jokes.  We  indited  odes  to  the  cook  on  the  dinner,  or, 
according  to  circumstances,  on  the  campaign,  the  weather, 
etc.  I still  recollect  some  verses  which  General  Skobeleff, 
Colonel  Tutolmin,  Captain  Sacharoff,  and  Captain  Derfelden 
composed  jointly. 

My  doggerel  lines  remained  unfinished,  because  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch  (the  elder  Skobeleff)  begged  me  to  add  something 
on  the  order  and  discipline  of  the  detachment,  which  naturally 
rather  cooled  my  inspiration.  My  verses  ran  as  follows: 


Jests  and  laughter  fill  the  air, 
And  songs  in  chorus  shouted. 
All’s  alive  and  merry, 

All’s  alive  and  merry. 


’Tis  Skobeleff  with  his  battalions 
And  his  Don  Cossacks, 

Marching  ’gainst  the  Turks, 
Marching  ’gainst  the  Turks. 

Here  they  tramp,  the  brave  Kubantsi 
And  the  ragged  Ossetin 
Men  of  mettle  all, 

Men  of  mettle  all. 


Here  the  guns  come  lumbering: 
In  battle  perhaps  they’ll  help  us. 
But  who  can  prophesy  ? 

But  who  can  prophesy  ? 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


45 


In  the  rear  the  hangers-on, 

Surgeons,  clerks,  and  Lord  knows  who, 

In  a motley  throng, 

In  a motley  throng. 

The  proposal  to  continue  these  verses  was  not  carried  out. 
After  dinner,  until  tea  was  brought,  there  was  more  chatting 
and  joking,  and  often  songs,  in  which  the  general  did  not  dis- 
dain to  join  with  his  bass  voice.  Tutolmin  especially  was 
fond  of  singing  ; he  would  hold  some  of  the  notes  with 
care,  often  closing  his  eyes  with  pleasure,  particularly  when 
his  favorite  song  was  sung — the  soldiers’  air  : 


or— 


Live  and  drive  dull  care  away. 
And  be  thankful  to  the  Czar  : 


Let  us  live  and  banish  care 
And  swear  eternal  friendship. 


We  went  to  bed  in  good  time,  as  we  had  to  be  up  early. 

* 

* * 

At  one  halting-place  we  had  just  lain  down  to  sleep  when 
shots  were  heard,  and  a general  tumult  ensued.  While 
dressing  myself  I asked  Skobeleff  what  it  could  be.  “ The 
Turks,”  he  thought.  In  a few  minutes  the  whole  detach- 
ment was  on  the  move  ; unfortunately  my  bridle  had  been 
lost,  which  made  me  later  than  the  others  in  starting. 
In  the  impenetrable  darkness  I rode  through  hedges  and 
ditches,  and  in  consequence  nearly  fell  from  my  horse.  When 
I reached  the  division,  already  ranged  in  rank  and  file,  I 
heard  orders  given  in  an  undertone  ; “ Where  is  the  artillery  ? 
Let  the  artillery  come  here.  The  Kubantsi  to  the  right.” 
Then  the  general’s  voice  reached  me  : ‘‘  Vassili  Vassilievitch! 
Where  is  Vassili  Vassilievitch?”  I quickly  took  my  place 
among  the  staff. 

A patrol  was  sent  out,  and  it  was  found  that  a Jewish  sutler 
who  was  taking  his  night’s  rest  here,  and  had  become  thorough- 
ly frightened  in  the  dark,  had  taken  it  into  his  head  to  fire 
a few  shots  from  his  revolver  in  order  to  restore  his  courage. 
The  Cossacks,  especially  Orloff,  begged  for  permission  to  give 
this  Jew,  who  had  deprived  the  whole  detachment  of  sleep,  a 
sound  beating  ; but  I interposed  on  his  behalf,  and  suggested 


46 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


that  for  each  shot  fired  he  should  receive  a cut  with  the 
nagaika.  This  was  done.  The  Jew  received  three  lashes  only, 
but  they  were  good  ones. 

* 

^ * 


In  the  large  villages  the  Cossacks  were  quartered  in  houses, 
but  in  the  intervening  country  in  tents.  On  the  whole  the 
troops  behaved  well,  though  there  were  some  complaints 
against  them  : in  one  place  a Cossack  had  carried  off  a goose  ; 
in  another  a sheep  had  been  stolen,  and  consumed  with  such 
skill  that  neither  skin  nor  bones  were  to  be  found.  Com- 
plaints were  also  brought,  but  only  once,  of  a woman  being 
attacked  by  Cossacks. 

We  marched  on  with  great  caution,  as  if  in  an  enemy’s 
country,  with  patrols,  which  Skobeleff  called  ‘‘eyes,”  on  our 
flanks.  Although  some  of  the  officers  laughed  at  these  precau- 
tions, they  were  probably  not  unnecessary  ; for  one  could  not 
be  sure  that  some  wandering  party  of  Tcherkesses  might 


HE  ATTACKED  A WOMAN. 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


47 


not  cross  the  Danube  on  a dark  night,  do  mischief,  and 
alarm  the  neighborhood.  Although  we  were  still  quite  a 
distance  from  the  Danube,  the  inhabitants  all  round  us  were 
in  the  greatest  excitement  in  consequence  of  the  constant 
rumors  that  the  enemy  were  about  to  cross  the  river — now  at 
this  spot  and  now  at  that. 

The  officers,  as  well  as  the  Cossacks  of  the  detachment, 
led  a quiet  life  ; there  was  neither  hard  drinking  nor  high 
play,  d'he  only  thing  I can  remember  is  a little  entertainment 
given  by  the  colonel  of  the  Kuban  regiment,  Kucharenko, 
who  celebrated  his  birthday  with  a feast.  Colonel  Orloff 
appeared  with  a half-dozen  of  Don  champagne — the  last,  as 
he  assured  us  ; presently  another  half-dozen  appeared,  which 
was  said  to  be  quite  the  last ; however,  yet  another  half- 
dozen  followed  ; was  it  really  (?)  the  last. 

The  chief  interest  of  the  feast  was  centred  in  the  roast 
foal,  of  which  notice  had  been  given  long  before.  Although 
in  Turkestan  I had  eaten  horse-flesh,  I had  never  tasted  foal. 

The  roast  was  served.  Gentlemen,”  cried  Kucharenko, 
who  stammered  violently,  “ will  you  be  pleased  to  partake  of 
roast  foal  ? ” — the  dish  contained  huge  chops  and  steaks  of 
rather  bluish  meat.  All  tried  it.  I liked  the  meat,  the 
majority  did  not ; some  ate  a little,  others  none  at  all. 

Now  the  second  dish  was  served.  “Gentlemen,  here  is 
mutton  for  those  who  do  not  care  for  roast  foal  ! ” The 
guests  fell  to,  and  were  heard  to  exclaim  : “ That  is  quite  a 
different  thing  ; this  is  real  meat  ! ” When  all  had  laid 
down  their  knives  and  forks,  Kucharenko  stammered  out 
again  : “ Do  not  be  angry,  gentlemen  : both  dishes  were 
foal ! ” 

* 

I possessed  neither  horse  nor  carriage,  and  was  therefore 
obliged  to  provide  myself  with  both.  It  was  settled  that 
Sotnik  W.,  who  commanded  a sotnia  (hundred)  of  Kuban 
Cossacks,  and  always  knew  how  to  get  everything  every- 
where, should  procure  me  both.  The  general  introduced 
me  to  him.  “ All  right,”  said  W.  ; and  the  very  next  day  I 
received  a chestnut  horse,  which,  to  be  sure,  was  blind  of 
one  eye,  but  good-tempered  and  quiet,  could  see  well  with 
the  sound  eye,  and  (most  important  of  all  ) cost  only  seventy 
rubles — not  a high  price  under  the  circumstances. 


48 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Later  on,  at  Bucharest,  W.  procured  for  me  a new  horse 
and  a carriage  from  a Russian  settler,  a Skopets,  for  400 
francs.  For  my  carriage  Skobeleff  gave  me  a Cossack  foot- 
soldier  from  the  Don,  called  Ivan,  and  for  my  horses  a young 
Ossetin  named  Kaitoff. 

Shortly  after  this  the  younger  Skobeleff  arrived.  His 
horses  had  preceded  him.  One,  which  his  father  had  given 
him,  was  an  English  thoroughbred,  for  which  14,000  rubles 
had  been  paid  ; the  second,  a white  stallion  of  Persian  race, 
had,  I suppose,  some  good  points,  but  in  most  respects 
was  not  well  formed  ; the  third,  a yellow  chestnut  of  Tur- 
coman blood  from  Khiva,  did  not  seem  to  be  one  of  the  best 
horses  of  that  country. 

The  young  general  had  been  already  talked  of  in  the 
division,  and  I,  being  acquainted  with  him,  was  often  ques- 
tioned about  him.  I told  everybody  that  he  was  a brave  and 
excellent  officer. 

The  relation  between  the  elder  Skobeleff  and  his  son  was 
a friendly  one  ; but  it  seemed  to  me,  nevertheless,  that  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch  was  a little  piqued  that  his  son  had  received  the 
Cross  of  St.  George  of  the  third  class  while  he  had  only  the 
fourth.  Moreover,  the  father  alluded  sarcastically  to  his  son 
Michel’s  military  service  in  Turkestan  (partly,  no  doubt, 
because  he  was  himself  an  old  Caucasian),  and  laughed  at 
the  engagements  there  as  child’s  play.  Once,  at  table  I was 
obliged  to  stand  up  warmly  for  the  young  general,  and  the 
old  man  was  quite  annoyed.  Altogether,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  young  Skobeleff  to  a certain  extent  distuibed  the 
orderly  patriarchal  conditions  of  our  camp  life  by  his  martial 
stories  and  his  plans  and  proposals  for  the  coming  campaign. 

He  had  at  that  time  a number  of  plans  ready,  not  only  for 
taking  the  whole  army  and  its  several  divisions  across  the 
Danube,  but  also  for  surprising  the  Turkish  pickets,  bat- 
teries, etc.  He  communicated  his  plans  in  confidence  first 
to  one  and  then  to  another  of  the  older  officers  of  the 
detachment,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  many.  “ He  is 
mad,”  said  S.  to  me  ; ‘‘a  fresh  plan  every  hour.  He  takes 
one  by  the  arm,  with  ^ I say,  do  you  know  ’ — and  begins  to 
talk  sheer  nonsense.” 

As  I was  sincerely  attached  to  Skobeleff,  I advised  him  to 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


49 


be  more  reserved  and  cautious.  He  asked  with  much 
interest  what  impression  he  had  made  on  the  detachment.  I 
replied  that  his  youth  and  figure,  his  Cross  of  St.  George, 
and  other  points  had  undoubtedly  made  a certain  impres- 
sion ; but  that  he  must  take  care  not  to  efface  it  by  his 
schemes,  which,  however  practicable  and  easy  of  execution 
they  might  appear  to  him  personally,  bored  everybody  else. 
Skobeleff  thanked  me  warmly,  saying,  “ That  is  the  advice 
of  a true  friend.” 

* 

❖ Hs 

We  came  within  a short  distance  of  Bucharest,  but  did 
not  enter  the  town,  on  account  of  the  agreement  which  had 
been  made  at  the  convention. 

Our  former  agent  in  Constantinople,  Colonel  Bobrikoff, 
accompanied  by  several  Roumanian  officers,  rode  out  from 
the  town  to  meet  us  ; they  led  us  round  through  the 
suburbs,  and  in  one  of  these,  by  the  Danube,  we  took  up 
our  quarters.  This  proceeding  caused  great  discontent 
in  the  detachment ; the.  condition  that  we  should  not  march 
through  the  town  was  termed  humiliating,  but  quite  unjustly. 

When  the  troops  had  been  billeted,  the  elder  Skobeleff 
was  informed  that  the  commander-in-chief  had  stopped  at 
Bucharest  on  his  way  and  was  lodging  in  the  house  of  Consul 
Stuart.  The  worthy  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  was  highly  delighted 
at  this  news,  and  as  he  sat  on  the  bed  threw  his  legs  up 
in  the  air.  Presently  he  rode  off  to  the  Grand  Duke  dis- 
playing the  flag,  of  blue  silk  with  a large  white  cross, 
which  was  carried  before  the  detachment  on  the  march 
through  Roumania. 

Accompanied  by  young  Skobeleff,  I drove  through  the 
town.  I must  confess  that  I was  ashamed  of  my  companion, 
for  he  put  out  his  tongue  at  the  ladies  we  met,  particularly 
at  the  pretty  ones. 

Skobeleff  felt  his  inaction  painfully.  It  was  evident  that 
a separate  command  was  not  to  be  intrusted  to  him,  and  he 
deeply  regretted  having  left  Turkestan,  where,  it  was 
rumored,  a demonstration  against  England  was  preparing. 
The  thought  of  a campaign  in  India  gave  him  no  peace. 
“We  were  both  fools  to  come  here,”  he  said  to  Captain 
Masloff,  who  had  come  with  him  from  Turkestan,  and,  like 
him,  was  longing  to  be  back.  I advised  Michael  Dmitrie- 
4 


50 


VERBSTCIIAGIN. 


vitch  to  have  a little  patience,  whereupon  he  replied  “ Let 
us  wait,  Vassili  Vassilievitch.  I understand  waiting,  and 
shall  be  sure  to  take  what  comes  to  me.”  Masloff  I advised 
to  join  fortunes  with  Skobeleff,  who,  it  was  certain,  would 
find  his  right  place.  It  is  a pity  that  he  succeeded  in  doing 
so  too  late,  that  his  youth  was  so  long  a stumbling  block, 
and  that  this  fiery  spirit  was  not  allowed  free  scope.  The 
result  of  the  campaign  would  then  have  been  very  different. 

I he  elder  Skobeleff  gave  us  a dinner  in  the  Huk  Hotel, 
where  I also  had  taken  rooms.  The  inn  was  good  and  not 
expensive,  and  drove  a roaring  trade,  it  was  said.  But,  in- 
deed, there  was  scarcely  a person  in  Bucharest  who  did  not, 
somehow  or  other,  get  profit  from  us  Russians.  The  owners 
of  inns  and  hotels  must  really  have  made  their  fortunes. 

* 

* * 

As  I had  to  provide  the  sweets  for  our  common  table,  I 
ransacked  all  the  shops  in  the  town,  but  could  find  nothing 
except  some  inferior  raisins  and  hard  dried  plums  ; everything 
else  was  sold  out.  It  was  much  to  my  annoyance  that  I had 
to  offer  my  good  comrades  these  rather  untempting  articles. 

After  two  days’  rest  we  marched  on  in  our  old  order.  One 
day  the  Don  Cossacks  led  the  van,  the  next  day  the  Kubant- 
si,  for  the  most  part  singing  and  playing  Cossack  music, 
which,  if  not  always  harmonious,  sounded  at  any  rate  loud 
and  bold.  I remember  one  officer  in  particular  who  con- 
ducted the  music  in  the  Kuban  regiment — a fine,  well-built, 
handsome  man.  As  he  conducted  he  beat  a Turkish  drum  ; 
and  how  he  did  beat  it  ! One  could  only  listen  to  it  at  a 
respectful  distance.  The  troops  were  disposed  of  as  before 
— partly  in  cottages,  if  there  was  room  ; if  not,  in  tents  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  water.  For  ourselves,  we  always  found 
some  house — now  a peasant’s,  now  a landowner’s.  I some- 
times went  with  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  to  the  farms  by  the  way, 
where,  if  the  owner  was  absent,  they  willingly  showed  us 
everything,  and  offered  us  dultchas — i.e.  fruit-syrup — with 
the  usual  glass  of  water.  Once  we  lodged  in  a large,  very 
roomy  house  belonging  to  a landowner.  But  that  night  our 
detachment  did  not  fare  well ; though  they  searched  care- 
fully, no  dry  place  could  be  found,  and  the  Cossacks  were 
obliged  to  pitch  their  tents  on  swampy  ground  ; moreover, 
the  weather  was  damp  and  cold  ; rain  fell  the  whole  time.  I 


ON  THE  DANUBE.  5 1 

remember  that  our  commanding  officer  was  then  accused  of 
making  his  troops  encamp  too  near  his  own  quarters. 

While  there,  the  elder  Skobeleff  received  orders  to  appear 
at  headquarters,  and,  evidently  uneasy,  he  set  off.  The  fact 
was,  that  during  our  stay  at  Bucharest  the  Ingushes  belonging 
to  our  detachment  had  had  a fight — such,  at  least,  was  the 
story — and  officious  people  thereupon  reported  in  influential 
quarters  that  the  Mussulmans  among  the  Ingushes,  and  some 
of  those  among  the  Ossetes,  had  expressed  their  dislike  of 
the  campaign  ; nay,  these  busybodies  actually  pretended  that 
they  had  seen  the  so-called  malcontents  throw  away  their 
cartridges,  saying  that  they  would  not  fire  on  their  fellow- 
believers,  the  Turks. 

All  this  proved  later  to  be  mere  nonsense,  but  gossip  did 
not  fail  to  spread  the  report  that  there  was  a want  of  dis- 
cipline in  the  detachment,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  hint 
that  it  was  almost  in  a state  of  mutiny.  The  commander-in- 
chief, disquieted  by  these  rumors,  summoned  Skobeleff,  on 
whose  advice  it  was  decided  to  send  back  the  Ingushes  and 
the  Ossetes  to  Russia.  A harsher  and,  under  the  circum- 
stances, a more  unjust  measure  could  scarcely  be  imagined  ; 
and  these  rough  soldiers  shed  tears  as  they  tried  to  move 
their  commanders  from  their  purpose  and  to  establish  their 
own  innocence  ; but  all  in  vain,  for  their  return  to  Russia 
was  definitely  decided  upon.  They  were  obliged  to  start 
for  Odessa  on  their  way  home,  returning  afterward  to  the 
seat  of  war. 

During  Skobeleff’s  absence  his  son  took  his  place.  How 
pleased  he  was  to  be  able  to  ride  along  the  ranks  of  the  Cos- 
sacks and  call  out  to  them,  ‘‘  Good-day,  children  ! ” Even  at 
that  time,  when  I dissuaded  him  from  attempting  to  obtain 
permission  to  return  to  Turkestan,  he  said  to  me  sadly,  “Do 
you  think  Vassili  Vassilievitch,  that  I do  not  find  it  hard  to 
be  unable  to  greet  the  men,  when  I have  led  regiments  into 
battle,  and  governed  a province  ? ” 

The  Cossacks  recognized  the  difference  between  father  and 
son  ; you  might  hear  them  say,  “We  could  do  with  a com- 
mander like  that.”  When  the  elder  Skobeleff  learned  this, 
later,  he  was  annoyed.  “ He  cannot  have  this  post,”  he  said 
to  me,  “because  I have  it.”  The  old  man  was  called  Pasha 
— I do  not  know  why  ; Sacharoff  called  him  Rygim  Pasha, 
because  he  often  hemmed  loudly  to  clear  his  throat.  The 


52 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Cossacks  frequently  sang  a parody  of  the  well-known  soldiers’ 
song,  “ There  was  a battle  at  Poltava,”  which  began  with  the 
words  “ At  Junis  was  a battle  fought,”  in  allusion  to  the  Rus- 
sian volunteers  in  the  war  between  Turkey  and  Servia. 
Among  the  rest  the  following  lines — 

Our  mighty  Emperor — ■ 

God  keep  his  memory — 

were  parodied  as  follows  : — 

Our  mighty  M . . . — 

May  the  devil  take  him — 

Only  in  the  rear  was  seen, 

Writing  telegrams. 

The  elder  Skobeleff  heard  this  song  often  without  taking 
any  notice  of  it ; but  the  younger,  on  the  very  first  day  of  his 
short  command,  said  to  the  men,  “ I beg  of  you,  brethren,  not 
to  sing  that  song,  because  it  ridicules  our  brothers  who 
fought  bravely  for  the  cause  of  the  Slav.” 

He  made  inquiries  about  the  men’s  food  and  about  various 
other  matters  concerning  the  detachment : and  this,  becoming 
speedily  known  to  the  privates,  procured  for  him  great  popu- 
larity. 

In  everything  that  related  to  the  health  of  the  troops  the 
elder  Skobeleff  trusted  completely  to  the  integrity  of  the 
brigadier-generals,  who  in  turn  relied  on  the  colonels  of  the 
regiments  ; and  the  result  was  that  in  reality  there  was  no 
control  whatever.  An  active  young  doctor  reported  that  the 
regiment  commanded  by  K.  was  insufficiently  provided  with 
medical  appliances,  and  that  in  addition  the  food  was  bad. 
The  officer  in  command  of  the  division  acted  in  an  extremely 
autocratic  and  original  fashion,  for  he  questioned  the  colonel 
of  the  regiment,  and  in  consequence  removed  the  doctor  from 
his  post,  ascribing  his  damaging  statement  to  his  personal 
dislike  for  his  colonel. 

“ What  a mean  fellow  that  doctor  is  ! ” said  the  colonel  to 
me.  “ When  he  came  into  the  regiment,  he  had  nothing  ; I 
gave  him  a Cossack,  I gave  him  a horse,  and  one  thing  and 
another  ; and  now  just  see  how  he  repays  me.” 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


53 


We  soon  reached  Frateshti,  near  the  railway  station  of  the 
same  name,  whence  there  is  a view  of  the  Danube  glittering 
like  a silver  band  in  the  sunshine.  As  the  detachment  was 
to  take  a position  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  there  was 
no  talk  of  crossing,  I thought  I would  seize  the  opportunity 
to  go  to  Paris  for  a short  time.  Some  of  my  painting 
materials  had  suffered  severely  on  the  way,  so  that  it  was 
necessary  either  to  send  for  new  ones  or  to  go  myself.  I 
preferred  the  latter,  told  Skobeleff  of  my  intention,  and  set 
off  the  same  day,  via  Bucharest,  for  Ploieshti,  which  was  then 
our  headquarters. 

Twenty  days  later  I was  back  again.  There  was  a great 
deal  going  on  at  headquarters  then,  because  the  Emperor  was 
with  the  army.  In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  I went  to 
Giurgevo,  where  Skobeleff  was  stationed  with  his  division. 
The  next  morning  the  thunder  of  cannon  awoke  me,  and  a 
Cossack  brought  me  the  following  message  by  order  of  the 
commanding  officer  : The  Turks  are  bombarding  Giurgevo. 

Come  and  look.” 

I rode  down  to  the  bank  of  the  Danube.  The  day  was 
fine  and  bright,  and  Rustchuk,  with  its  forts,  its  white 
minarets,  and  the  distant  camp,  lay  before  me  as  if  in  the 
palm  of  my  hand.  The  elder  Skobeleff  with  his  staff  sat 
under  the  projeeting  roof  of  a house  which  overhung  the 
river.  The  Turks,  as  it  turned  out,  were  bombarding,  not 
the  town,  but  the  trading-vessels  which  lay  between  the 
shore  and  a little  island,  and  whieh  they  thought  were 
intended  to  take  our  troops  across.  They  were  strangely 
built  barks,  reminding  one  of  the  last  century  ; and  any  one 
who  believed  that  the  Russian  troops  proposed  to  make  their 
way  to  the  Turkish  shore  in  these  galleys  must  have  had  a 
very  poor  opinion  of  our  facilities  for  crossing  the  Danube. 

Several  shells  had  already  fallen  among  the  houses  on  the 
extreme  edge  of  the  town,  and  the  confusion  which  followed 
was  a sight  to  see  : the  inhabitants  snatching  up  the  most  indis- 
pensable of  their  belongings  and  flying  to  the  other  side  of 
the  town.  I went  on  board  the  vessels,  and  took  my  station 
on  the  middle  one  in  order  to  observe  on  the  one  side  the 
hurly-burly  in  the  houses,  and  on  the  other  the  falling  of  the 
bombs  into  the  water.  Just  at  that  moment  a shell  fell  into 


54 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


a long  government  building,  which  was  probably  some  kind 
of  magazine,  but  at  that  time  served  as  quarters  for  half  a 
sotnia  of  Kuban  Cossacks  ; a second  followed  immediately. 
When  the  first  shell  struck  the  wall,  the  Cossacks  began  to 
collect  their  things  ; but  when  the  second  broke  through  the 
roof,  they  crept  out  like  cockroaches,  hanging  their  heads, 
and,  with  dagger  in  one  hand  and  cap  in  the  other,  ran 
quickly  into  the  streets,  hugging  the  walls  as  they  went. 

Some  of  the  shells,  plunging  into  the  sandy  shore  and 
there  bursting,  threw  up  the  sand  as  if  by  magic  in  the  form 
of  a bouquet  or  a cauliflower  head,  from  the  centre  of  which 
solid  clods  and  stones  flew  into  the  air,  while  above  it  rose  a 
thick  column  of  white  smoke. 

The  shells  fell  near  the  spot  where  I was  ; a few  only 
reached  the  shore  — most  of  them  fell  on  the  ships,  or  into 
the  water  between  or  in  front  of  them.  Twice  the  bark  on 
which  I stood  was  struck.  The  first  shot  struck  the  bows  ; 
the  second  pierced  the  hull  and  turned  everything  between- 
decks  upside  down.  The  explosion  was  so  violent  that  I 
cannot  call  it  anything  but  hellish,  though  my  knowledge  of 
hell  does  not  rest  on  personal  experience.  The  crash,  I 
remember,  drove  two  puppies  on  deck,  where  they  began  to 
play  ; the  explosion  merely  startled  them  and  made  them 
prick  up  their  ears,  and  then  they  set  at  each  other  again. 

It  was  most  interesting  to  see  how  the  bombs  fell  into  the 
water  and  made  fountains  rise  high  into  the  air.  Each  time 
the  smoke  rose  I felt  rather  queer,  and  thought,  ‘‘  Now  the 
place  where  you  are  standing  will  be  struck  ; you  will  be 
thrown  down  and  hurled  into  the  water,  and  no  one  will  know 
what  has  become  of  you.” 

The  Turks  threw  fifty  shells  and  then  ceased.  The  result 
of  this  bombardment  was  very  trifling. 

‘‘  And  where  were  you  ? ” I was  asked  ; “ how  could  you 
miss  such  an  interesting  performance,  done  gratis,  too?” 
“ Oh,  I saw  it  better  than  you,  for  I was  on  that  ship  the 
whole  time.”  ‘‘Impossible!  ” they  all  cried  with  one  accord. 
“ Let  us  go  and  see  what  havoc  they  have  made,”  said 
Skobeleff.  We  went  on  board  all  the  vessels,  saw  what  dam- 
age had  been  done,  but  could  not  find  the  dogs.  Had  they 
got  frightened  and  crept  away  to  hide  themselves,  or  had 
they  been  hurled  into  the  water  ? 

I did  not  get  many  compliments  for  having  made  my  ob- 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


55 


PICKET  ON  THE  DANUBE, 


56 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


servations  from  the  ship.  Some  simply  refused  to  believe  that 
I had  placed  myself  in  the  middle  of  the  target;  others  called 
it  useless  bravado  ; it  did  not  occur  to  any  one  that  these 
very  observations  were  the  object  of  my  stay.  If  I had  brought 
a paint  box  with  me,  I should  have  painted  some  explosions. 

* 

Hi  Hi 

The  detachment  placed  pickets  along  the  Danube  for  a 
great  distance.  On  the  left  flank,  in  Malorosh,  were  stationed 
Orloff’s  Don  Cossacks  ; in  the  centre,  stretching  as  far  as  the 
village  of  Mali-Dijos,  the  Kuban  Cossacks ; and  beyond 
them,  reaching  to  the  village  of  Petroshain,  the  Ossetes.  I 
first  rode  to  the  Don  Cossacks  at  Malorosh,  who  had  built 
themselves  a model  watch-tower.  The  Turks,  enraged  at 
this,  fired  upon  the  Cossacks,  which  Orloff  did  not  like  at  all. 
The  shells  falling  among  the  horses,  terrified  them  and  drove 
them  away,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  find  them  again.  The 
Cossacks  made  an  attempt  to  reply  with  their  little  field  guns, 
but  soon  had  to  give  it  up  in  order  not  to  disgrace  them- 
selves. 

H<  ^ 

Batteries  were  being  erected  close  by  Giurgevo,  and  I 
went  with  the  two  Skobeleffs  to  look  at  the  works.  The  elder 
Skobeleff  observed  to  the  engineer  officer  that  he  was  mak- 
ing the  boarding  of  the  platform  much  too  thin.  The  rather 
dandified  young  officer  who  was  doing  the  honors  replied  : 
“ It  is  thick  enough  for  the  Turks,  your  Excellency.”  A little 
further  from  the  town,  at  the  first  village,  Slobodsei,  another 
battery  was  being  erected,  of  siege-guns,  apparently,  which 
were  to  carry  nine  versts.  There  the  energetic  Colonel 
Pliutchinski  was  at  work. 

The  little  town  of  Giurgevo  had  undergone  no  change, 
except  that  here  and  there  greater  activity  than  usual  pre- 
vailed. Certainly  many  of  the  inhabitants  had  been  fright- 
ened away  by  the  bombardment  and  the  houses  on  the  shore 
in  particular  stood  empty  ; but  within  the  town,  in  the  squares 
and  streets,  there  were  great  throngs  of  people,  and  trade 
was  brisk.  The  hotels  and  inns  were  filled  with  officers 
carousing — some  alone  and  some  in  groups,  some  with  women 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


57 


and  some  without  them  ; and  their  merriment  was  not  always 
restrained  within  the  limits  of  propriety.  One  evening,  when 
I entered  an  inn  with  S.  and  other  officers  to  have  supper, 
we  found  a half-drunken  company  there,  who  had  taken 
off  sabres  and  caps,  some  even  their  tunics,  and  had  put 
them  on  the  girls  who  were  drinking  with  them.  And  all 
this  took  place  in  the  public  room  ! 

The  younger  officers  of  our  detachment — the  above-men- 
tioned S.,  L.,  and  others — frequented  a certain  garden,  to 
which  they  were  attracted  by  the  charms  of  the  damsels  who 
sang  and  played  the  harp  there,  and  made  Skobeleff  so  eager 
by  their  account  of  the  pleasures  of  the  entertainment,  that 
the  old  man,  who  feared  to  compromise  himself  by  visiting 
the  place  openly,  decided  to  take  a peep  secretly.  He  was 
once  seen  stealing  along  by  the  garden  and  looking  through 
a hole  in  the  fence,  which  exploit  brought  upon  him  well- 
merited  raillery. 

* 

At  Bucharest,  through  M.  D.  Skobeleff,  I had  become 
acquainted  with  MacGahan,  the  well-known  correspondent  of 
the  Daily  News  ; later,  at  Giurgevo,  I met  Mr.  Forbes,  when 
he  came  with  some  communication  to  the  staff  of  the  detach- 
ment. I was  the  only  one  there  who  could  speak  English, 
and  therefore  acted  as  interpreter,  endeavoring  at  the  same 
time  to  soften  the  excessive  coldness  with  which  he  was 
received  and  his  questions  answered.  In  order  to  escape 
reproaches  for  my  indulgence  to  the  deceitful  English,”  I 
avoided  entering  into  conversation  with  Mr.  Forbes  in  our 
casual  meetings.  I must  confess  that  I did  not  hnd  it  easy, 
as  one  could  see  that  he  felt  the  general  mistrust  entertained 
toward  him  as  an  Englishman,  and  exerted  himself  to  be 
pleasant. 

^ * 

The  officer  in  command  of  the  division  lived  in  a little 
house  on  the  river  bank,  where  we  met  every  day  at  dinner. 
Here  we  were  joined  by  Prince  Tserteleff,  formerly  secretary 
to  the  ambassador  at  Constantinople,  who  had  entered  the 
Kuban  regiment  as  a subaltern  (uriadnik),  and  was  now  serv- 
ing in  Skobeleff’s  detachment.  The  younger  Skobeleff,  who 
was  chief  of  the  staff  of  the  detachment,  rarely  associated 


58 


VERESTCIIAC^N. 


with  us;  but  he  passed  most  of  his  time  at  Bucharest,  whither 
he  was  chiefly  attracted  by  the  women  of  all  nationalities 
who  gathered  there  from  every  part  of  Europe.  The  feast- 
ing and  carousing  in  that  town  were  a sight  to  see.  From 
the  ensign  who  for  the  first  time  had  three  hundred  roubles 
in  his  pocket  to  the  commissariat  official  who  threw  away  his 
thousands,  all  showed  their  Slav  nature  ; all  rioted,  and  ate 
and  drank,  but  especially  drank.  Michael  Skobeleff  at  this 
time  had  not  a farthing  in  his  pocket  ; so  that  he  was  ready 
to  take  anything  he  could  get ; from  his  father  especially, 
who  was  not  exactly  generous,  he  tried  to  squeeze  money. 
Once,  when  Skobeleff  asked  his  father  for  money,  the  latter 
sent  him  four  gold  pieces.  The  son  was  beside  himself. 
“ Why,  I give  every  lackey  a larger  present  than  that  ! ” he 
cried  indignantly.  During  that  gay  time,  in  fact,  the  largest 
sum  would  scarcely  have  been  enough  for  him. 

^ He 

I used  often  to  walk  with  the  elder  Skobeleff  in  the  ave- 
nues on  the  boulevards.  “ Let  us  see  how  a spy  is  disposed 
of,'’  he  said  one  day.  We  sat  down  on  a bench  opposite  a 
house  into  which  Colonel  Parentsolf  and  the  aide-de-camp 
to  the  commander-in-chief  had  gone.  In  front  of  the  steps 
stood  soldiers,  two  to  the  left  and  two  to  the  right.  We  sat 
some  time,  I should  have  gone  in  to  be  present  at  the  trial  if 
Skobeleff  had  not  held  me  back. 

But  out  they  came  at  last  on  to  the  steps,  the  spy  in  front, 
his  hands  in  the  pocket  of  his  jacket,  as  if  the  matter  did  not 
concern  him,  because  he  felt  he  was  innocent.  But  when  he 
saw  the  soldiers  he  seemed  to  realize  that  the  affair  was  seri- 
ous ; he  stood  still  a few  seconds,  heaved  a deep  sigh,  and 
then  went  down  the  steps. 

It  was  a certain  Baron  K.;  I do  not  know  whether  he  was 
really  a spy  ; but  probably  compromising  papers  were  found 
on  him,  for  he  was  sent  to  Siberia.  After  two  months,  how- 
ever, he  was  allowed  to  return. 

Before  my  departure  to  Paris  I had  met  at  headquarters 
Lieutenant  Skrydloff  of  the  naval  guard.  He  was  then  going 
on  a reconnoitring  expedition  on  the  Danube,  and  invited 
me  to  Mali-Dijos,  where  the  Danube  division  of  the  naval 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


59 


SPY. 


6o 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


guard  was  stationed.  He  told  me  that  he  intended  to  attack 
a Turkish  ironclad  with  his  torpedo  boat,  and  wanted  me  to 
go  with  him.  I was  quite  willing,  but  made  him  give  me  his 
word  of  honor  that  I should  see  an  explosion.  I could  not 
afford  to  miss  so  rare  an  opportunity. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  Giurgevo  I paid  a visit  to  the 
naval  officers,  who  lived  in  a village  some  distance  from  the 
river  bank,  because  the  dynamite  and  pyroxiline  with  which 
the  torpedoes  are  charged  had  to  be  protected  as  far  as  pos- 
sible from  the  Turkish  fire. 

Skrydloff  and  I had  been  comrades  long  ago  as  naval 
cadets,  though  he  was  my  junior  by  two  years  ; and  we  had 
been  through  a campaign  together  on  the  frigate  Svetlana.” 
When  I was  sergeant  in  the  naval  cadet  corps  he  was  under 
me,  and  more  than  once  I had  had  to  reprimand  him  severely, 
particularly  for  constantly  talking  and  whispering  at  the 
front. 

I quartered  myself  on  him  and  his  comrade  Podiapolski  in 
their  little  house,  which  was  situated  in  a large,  dirty  square. 
Sometimes  we  dined  at  the  officers’  mess,  but  more  often 
cooked  ourselves  something  at  home,  on  which  occasions  the 
denchtchik  (officer’s  servant),  a good  fellow,  gave  us  a help- 
ing hand.  We  slept  on  the  staircase  under  curtains,  because 
the  gnats  (it  was  then  the  end  of  May)  were  very  trouble- 
some. 

On  the  very  first  day  I was  initiated  into  the  great  secret 
of  the  two  chums.  When  the  naval  guard  left  St.  Peters- 
burg, the  head  of  the  well-known  Einglish  firm  which  con- 
tracted for  them  presented  the  division  with  a case  of  sherry 
to  take  with  them,  which  Skrydloff  undertook  to  convey  to 
the  Danube.  So  far  he  kept  his  word  ; but  no  one  beside 
Podiapolski  knew  anything  about  this  case,  and  so  the  friends 
partook  of  the  sherry,  which  was  very  good,  and  entertained 
guests  with  it  occasionally,  until  at  last  the  truth  became 
known,  and  the  case,  now  somewhat  lighter,  was  carried  off 
to  the  mess-room. 

The  commander  of  the  whole  torpedo  squadron,  Post-Cap- 
tain Novikoff,  was  living  in  the  same  square — a very  brave 
officer,  who  had  been  decorated  for  his  services  at  Sebastopol 
with  the  small  cross  of  St.  George.  When  I met  him  for  the 
first  time,  at  the  table  of  the  commander-in-chief,  our  host 
asked  him  what  he  had  received  the  cross  for.  “ I blew  up  a 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


6l 


powder-magazine,”  replied  N.,  in  such  a deep  bass  that 
everybody  was  startled.  The  same  bass  voice,  though  some- 
what subdued,  was  heard  in  the  cottage  in  which  he  lived. 
When  we  had  tea  with  him,  we  tried  to  gather  from  his  talk, 
and  from  the  arrangements  he  was  making,  whether  the  lay- 
ing of  the  torpedoes  would  soon  begin.  The  object  of  this 
operation  (which  had  been  long  expected)  was  to  protect  the 
passage  of  the  Danube,  which  was  to  take  place  immediately 
after. 

Novikoff  was  indefatigable.  Brave  and  cool-headed,  he 
had  only  two  noticeable  faults — first,  he  deafened  every- 
body with  his  voice,  and  secondly,  he  would  speak  of  the 
torpedoes  as  bombs.  Nevertheless  he  received  a ready  par- 
don for  both  these  offences,  on  account  of  his  kind  and 
simple  ways. 

I went  frequently  with  Skrydloff  when  he  had  instructions 
to  carry  out.  We  rowed  about  the  river  (by  night,  of  course,) 
placing  buoys  to  mark  the  course  the  torpedo  boats  were  to 
take  in  laying  the  torpedoes.  The  Danube  was  still  much 
swollen,  and  some  torpedo  boats  of  rather  deep  draught 
could  not  pass  everywhere  along  the  low  flooded  bank.  The 
channel  of  a little  river  flowing  into  the  Danube  had  to  be 
sounded  and  marked  with  buoys  ; torpedoes  were  to  be  laid 
there  also. 

As  express  orders  had  been  given  not  to  alarm  the  Turks 
and  arouse  their  attention,  bu<-  rather  to  lull  them  into  secur- 
ity as  far  as  possible,  we  did  not  set  to  work  until  after 
nightfall.  By  morning  the  buoys  were  fixed  ; but  the  clear- 
ing of  the  channel,  which  was  barred  at  the  mouth  with 
solid  posts,  gave  us  a great  deal  to  do,  and  we  could  not  get 
the  work  done  in  that  short  time.  When  we  had  made  a little 
temporary  passage  for  the  sloop,  we  rowed  into  the  Danube, 
partly  to  show  our  courage,  partly  to  ascertain  whether  there 
were  Turks  at  the  sentry  box  on  the  island.  Using  the  oars 
very  softly,  scarcely  dipping  them  into  the  water,  we  passed 
along  a dense  bed  of  willows.  Every  sudden  noise — the 
splashing  of  a fish,  the  call  of  a night-bird — made  us  shudder. 
We  landed  at  the  little  island,  walked  around,  and  convinced 
ourselves  that  the  Turks  had  evacuated  it,  although  they  had 
been  seen  mowing  grass  shortly  before.  We  had  come  down 


62 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


with  the  stream  ; the  Turkish  bank  was  quite  close.  The 
current  was  so  strong  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  any  progress 
against  it.  In  order  not  to  tire  our  men  and  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Turks,  we  soon  turned  back.  By  morning  we 
were  at  home.  Skrydloff’s  assistant,  Midshipman  Niloff,  who 
had  made  the  night  trip  with  us,  cleared  out  the  little  river 
completely  the  following  night. 

Another  time  we  went  on  a secret  mission  to  all  the  troops 
posted  on  the  Danube.  We  rowed  on  past  the  Kuban  Cos- 
sacks, the  Vladicaucasians,  and  the  Osettes  to  Simnitza,  where 
some  hussars — I forget  which — had  placed  outposts. 

At  Parapan  I became  acquainted  with  General  Dragomi- 
roff,  who  was  intrusted  with  preparations  for  the  passage  of 
the  river.  When  he  was  assured  that  I was  not  a correspond- 
ent, he  spoke  so  freely,  rationally,  and  logically  about  the 
course  of  affairs,  that  we — />.,  Skrydloff,  I,  and  Wulfert, 
with  whom  we  were  staying — were  quite  astonished.  Dra- 
gomiroff  enjoyed  then,  and  still  enjoys,  great  popularity,  and 
since  Skobeleffs  death  he  remains  one  of  the  best  generals 
of  our  army,  if  not  the  very  best. 

The  officers  with  whom  we  dined  were  extremely  pleasant ; 
they  fed  us  well,  and  provided  us  promptly  with  the  neces- 
sary horses.  Skrydloff,  however,  would  have  been  better 
pleased  if  a little  care  in  the  choice  had  been  added  to  the 
promptitude  ; for  such  Rosinantes  fell  to  his  lot,  almost  it 
seemed  intentionally,  that  on  the  ride  from  the  hussars  to  the 
Cossacks  he  had  to  whip  his  tall  brown  horse  constantly,  and 
(what  was  more  unpleasant  still)  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to 
ride  in  the  English  fashion,  namely,  to  rise  in  the  stirrups,  he 
grazed  himself  in  a certain  part  severely. 

❖ if: 

I made  a sketch  of  the  Danube  and  a Cossack  picket  on 
the  bank,  but  on  the  whole  painted  very  little.  I rode  to 
Giurgevo,  went  to  the  Cossacks,  looked  on  at  the  sappers’ 
works,  or  went  with  Skrydloff  to  try  some  machinery 
on  his  torpedo  boat  “Shutka.  ” In  order  not  to  alarm 
the  Turks,  we  were  obliged  to  go  after  sunset  or  in  bad 
weather,  and  the  funnel  could  not  be  allowed  to  smoke 
nor  to  throw  out  sparks,  so  that  we  had  to  use  only  the  best 
steam  coal.  The  Turks  did  not  know,  and  were  not  to  know, 
that  we  had  a whole  fleet  of  small  steamers. 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


63 


We  once  started  at  a rather  late  hour  in  very  stormy 
weather.  The  wind  became  so  strong  that  the  “ Shutka  ” 
could  hardly  make  her  way  back.  The  muddy  Danube 
was  roaring  terribly  ; heavy  rain  wrapped  everything  in  thick 
darkness.  This  suggested  to  Skrydloff  the  idea  of  carry- 
ing out  a long-intended  attack  on  one  of  the  Turkish 
ironclads  which  were  lying  before  Rustchuk.  We  knew  that 
one  ironclad  was  lying  in  front  of  the  forts,  another  more  to 
the  right  behind  the  little  island.  As,  from  the  hammering 
that  had  been  going  on  for  the  last  few  days,  it  was  to  be 
supposed  that  they  had  been  furnishing  the  latter  with  a 
crinoline  or  some  similar  means  of  protection,  we  could  only 
count  on  getting  near  the  first  ironclad.  In  such  weather  it 
was  possible  to  get  close  to  the  ironclad  almost  unnoticed. 

Shall  we  try  it  ?”  asked  Skrydloff.  “I  am  ready.”  But 
we  did  not  go  after  all.  Skrydloff  said  finally,  ‘‘  It  is  not  a 
question  of  destroying  a superfluous  Turkish  ironclad,  but  of 
laying  torpedoes  and  making  the  passage  of  the  river  possi- 
ble for  our  army.  With  such  an  important  object  in  view, 
it  would  be  imprudent,  nay,  even  wrong,  to  risk  one  of  our 
best  torpedo  boats,  of  which,  as  it  is,  the  number  is  not  very 
large.  What  do  you  think  ? ” “I  dare  say  you  are  right,” 
I replied. 

We  decided  to  land,  but  in  consequence  of  the  bad 
weather,  mistook  our  direction,  put  in  at  the  wrong  place,  a 
very  long  way  from  our  village,  and  did  not  reach  home  till 
night.  On  the  promontory  where  we  landed  there  was  a 
picket  of  three  Cossacks ; and  these  fellows,  wrapped  in 
their  burkas  (Caucasian  for  “ cloaks  ”),  were  so  sound  asleep 
that  we  had  to  wake  them  by  force.  If  a party  of  Tcherk- 
esses  had  come  they  would  have  been  slaughtered  like  sheep. 
I did  not  conceal  the  occurrence  from  the  commander  of  the 
sotnia,  but  first  exacted  a promise  that  the  Cossacks  should 
go  unpunished  this  time. 

* 

* ^ 

The  commander  of  the  sotnia  stationed  at  Mali-Dijos  was 
K.  P.  V.,  the  same  omniscient  and  ubiquitous  officer  who  at 
Skobeleff’s  request  had  bought  me  my  horse  and  carriage. 
I became  rather  intimate  with  this  peculiar  person,  and  often 
visited  him.  His  first  question  when  I came  was  if  I did  not 
want  some  borshtch  (beet-root  soup).  “ Well,  then,  tea  at  any 


64 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


rate,”  he  would  call  out,  and  without  waiting  for  my  answer 
order  it  to  be  got  ready.  From  what  plantations  he  procured 
his  tea  I do  not  know,  but  remember  very  well  that  it  only 
just  colored  the  water,  and  that  K.  P.  considered  it  good. 
There  were  no  teaspoons,  although  the  host  told  his  dencht- 
chik  every  time  to  bring  teaspoons.  The  latter  would  then  go 
to  the  hedge  and  cut  a switch  neatly  wuth  his  dagger.  K.  P. 
drank  tea  in  economical  fashion,  taking  the  sugar  into  his 
mouth  ; if  he  did  not  use  a piece  quite  up  he  threw  back  the 
rest  of  it  into  the  sugar-basin.  His  conversation  with  me,  as 
probably  with  every  other  person,  began  with  the  stereo- 
typed question,  “Well,  do  they  say  we  are  going  to  cross 
soon  ? ” Then  he  passed  on  to  the  rumors  of  peace,  which, 
arising  from  unknown  sources,  flew  about  even  before  the 
war  operations  began,  and  he  never  forgot  to  inquire,  more 
or  less  confidentially,  how  money  could  be  sent  home  in  the 
best,  safest,  and  most  advantageous  manner,  and  whether 
gold  could  be  sent. 

Kusma  Petrovitch  was  evidently  very  fond  of  his  home, 
and  the  more  the  campaign  was  protracted,  the  more  fre- 
quent and  obstinate  were  the  rumors  which  reached  him, 
through  unknown  channels,  of  the  speedy  conclusion  of 
peace.  He  talked  a great  deal  of  his  farm  near  Stavropol, 
of  his  eldest  son  Kusmitch  and  his  precocious  intelligence 
and  early  development.  He  also  described  the  hare  and  fox- 
hunting when  the  first  snow  fell,  for  which  he  had  purchased 
his  sporting  dog  Milka.  Every  time  I visited  him,  he  offered 
me  the  dog  as  a present.  He  would  also  talk  about  the  bat- 
tles with  the  mountaineers  on  the  Kuban,  without  represent- 
ing himself  as  a hero  ; on  the  contrary,  he  confessed  quite 
openly  that  he  saved  his  life  by  running  away  in  such  and 
such  an  engagement,  which  act  the  Cossacks  do  not  consider 
dishonorable,  as  they  hold  that  as  long  as  one  is  superior  to 
the  enemy  one  must  kill  and  defeat  him,  but  that  in  the  oppo- 
site case  one  must  save  oneself,  and  the  quicker  the  better. 

I also  discovered  that  Kusma  Petrovitch  was  a musician. 

I went  to  his  quarters  once  by  invitation,  with  Skrydloff 
and  two  other  naval  officers,  and  found  him  dressed  in  a fur 
beshmet  (jacket),  with  a violin  in  his  hand,  conducting  a chorus 
of  singers.  I am  bound  to  admit  that  the  hand  which  guided 
the  bow  was  more  bold  than  practiced  ; but,  as  the  saying 
goes,  you  can’t  expect  a man  to  do  more  than  his  best.  His 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


65 


speech  was  always  calm  and  tranquil,  and  so  were  his  eyes, 
which  sometimes  had  an  absent  look.  He  had  a very  calm 
manner,  too,  in  dealing  with  his  men,  and  never  abused  them 
except  in  extreme  cases. 

He  also  worshipped  his  horse — a little  black  animal  from 
Kabarda — and  fed  and  coddled  it  so  that  it  got  quite  round 
like  a juicy  apple  ; but  for  riding  he  used  another  horse. 
“A  horse  like  that,”  he  used  to  say  of  his  favorite,  “is  no 
longer  to  be  found  even  in  Kabarda ! ” and  he  would  then 
declare  that  he  would  not  sell  it  at  any  price.  This  did  not, 
however,  prevent  his  selling  it  to  me  later  for  three  hundred 
roubles,  although  it  was  scarcely  worth  more  than  a hundred 
or  a hundred  and  fifty.  In  a word,  one  found  him  a typ- 
ical Cossack,  who  had  risen  from  the  ranks,  who  was  no  cow- 
ard, though  not  particularly  brave  (both  bravery  and  cow- 
ardice being  equally  rare  among  the  Cossacks);  a man 
without  any  cultivation  whatever,  but  with  the  capacity  to 
make  himself  at  home  in  any  position,  to  find  provisions 
and  forage  where  they  seemed  absolutely  not  to  exist,  to  pur- 
sue the  enemy  boldly,  when  he  retreated,  and,  when  he 
attacked,  to  retreat  before  him  without  loss  of  honor. 

* 

Skr}^dloff  told  me,  in  confidence,  that  he  had  seen  at  Novi- 
koffs  house  a paper  from  headquarters  which  expressed 
the  dissatisfaction  of  the  commander-in-chief  at  the  backward 
state  of  the  preparations,  whereby  the  laying  of  the  pontoons 
(which  were  quite  ready)  and  the  passage  of  the  whole  army 
were  delayed.  This,  of  course,  meant  that  the  passage 
would  take  place  during  the  next  few  days,  although  coals 
and  other  things  were  still  wanting.  He  also  told  me  that 
he  and  Ch.  had  been  appointed  to  attack  the  enemy’s  iron- 
clads, in  case  the  latter  should  attempt  to  interfere  with  our 
operations.  He  had  learned  further  that  Novikoff  did  not 
wish  any  one  to  accompany  the  expedition  who  did  not 
belong  to  the  division,  so  that  if  I wanted  to  go  I ought  to 
speak  to  the  captain  in  good  time. 

At  first  Modest  Petrovitch  seemed  inexorable,  and 
answered  by  repeatedly  advising  me  to  look  on  from  the 
bank— it  was  only  about  three  versts  ; but  at  last  he  gave  in, 
and  we  began  our  preparations  for  the  campaign  against  the 
5 


66 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Turks.  We  cooked  several  chickens,  took  a bottle  of  sherry 
(the  case  of  which  everybody  knew  had  already  been  taken 
away),  and  provided  ourselves  with  bread  and  other  supplies 
for  nearly  a week  ; and  beside  drawing-paper  I took  my  little 
paint-box,  which,  however,  was  not  destined  to  be  used. 

The  evening  before  our  expedition  I received  through 
Skobeleff  the  following  telegram  from  headquarters  : “ The 
artist  Verestchagin  is  to  join  the  rifle  brigade  immediately. — 
oKALON.”  At  first  I was  puzzled,  but  when  I got  to  Giur- 
gevo  I understood  how  it  was.  Some  time  before  I had 
begged  Skalon,  the  commander-in-chief’s  secretary,  to  give 
me  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  passage  of  the  river, 
and  to  attach  me  temporarily  for  this  purpose  to  the  most 
advanced  troops.  The  rifle  brigade  had  now  moved  out 
toward  Simnitza,  so  that  the  passage  was  to  be  made  some- 
where in  that  direction.  As  the  troops  marched  only  at 
night  (remaining  quiet  during  the  day  in  order  not  to  arouse 
the  Turks),  not  less  than  forty-eight  hours  would  be  required 
for  the  march  ; I therefore  hoped  to  arrive  with  the  blue- 
jackets in  good  time  for  the  laying  of  the  torpedoes,  and  then 
to  overtake  General  Tsvetsinski  with  his  brigade. 

I went  into  the  little  house  where  my  things  were,  in  order 
to  select  what  was  absolutely  necessary.  While  thus  engaged 
I did  not  feel  quite  comfortable  ; I reflected  that  the  Turks 
would  not  watch  Skrydloff  blowing  them  up  quite  so  quietly 
as  I intended  to  watch  the  explosion,  and  that  our  torpedoes 
in  all  probability  would  hurl  us  into  the  air  first.  I left  my 
lodgings,  saw  to  my  horses  (among  them  a new  white  am- 
bling nag,  which  cost  five-and-twenty  gold  pieces),  called  on 
a few  officers,  and  then  went  that  very  night  to  Mali-Dijos. 

My  younger  brother,  who  had  joined  the  service  again  in 
the  Vladicaucasian  regiment,  arrived  that  day  and  came  to 
me.  I took  him  to  his  superior  officers,  and  then  went,  with 
my  knapsack,  to  the  blue-jackets. 

After  dinner  the  senior  officer  of  the  naval  detachment 
gave  out  brandy  to  the  crews  in  the  court-yard  of  the  house 
where  the  mess  was  held,  and  did  it  so  solemnly  and  methodi- 
cally that  our  departure  was  considerably  delayed.  It  was 
already  nearly  dark  when  we  assembled  on  the  shore  of  the 


ON  THE  DANUBE.  67 

little  bay  where  the  torpedo  boats  lay,  just  getting  up  their 
steam. 

Quite  unexpectedly,  young  Skobeleff  appeared,  took 
Novikoff  aside,  and  began  to  talk  to  him  with  great  eager- 
ness. He  expressed  his  wish  to  be  useful  to  the  detachment, 
and  proposed  that  he  should  accompany  the  expedition  ; but 
Novikoff  gave  him  a decided  refusal. 

I'he  chaplain  of  the  Minsk  regiment,  a very  advanced 
young  man,  offered  a prayer  for  the  journey.  As  I knelt  I 
looked  with  curiosity  at  the  interesting  scene  before  me.  On 


SAILOR. 


68 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


the  right,  the  setting  sun  was  shedding  his  last  rays,  and  the 
smoking  torpedo  boats  stood  out  like  dark  shadows  against 
the  crimson  sky  and  water  ; on  the  bank  were  the  sailors  in 
a semicircle,  the  officers  in  their  midst,  all  on  their  knees, 
all  praying  fervently.  Around  silence  reigned  : the  voice  of 
the  chaplain  alone  was  audible. 

I could  not  at  the  time  make  any  sketch  of  the  torpedo 
boats,  which  has  prevented  me  from  reproducing  on  canvas 
this  scene,  which  impressed  itself  deeply  on  my  memory. 

When  the  prayer  was  over,  those  vrho  were  going  em- 
braced those  who  remained  behind.  Among  the  latter  was 
Podiapolski,  our  friend  and  chum.  When,  on  leaving,  I 
embraced  Skobeleff,  he  whispered,  “ Happy  fellow,  to  be  able 
to  go  with  them  ! How  I envy  you  ! ” 

❖ 

% ^ 

Skrydloff  did  not  hurry  to  get  up  steam,  and  we  had  to 
make  use  of  the  oars.  When  I reproached  him  for  this,  he 
said  reassuringly  : “ You  may  be  certain  that  we  shall  over- 
take everybody,  and  reach  the  Danube  sooner  than  the 
others,  who  do  not  know  the  channel  and  will  get  aground.” 
And  so  it  was.  The  darkness  was  so  great  that  the  buoys 
were  not  visible,  and  could  not  be  seen  even  by  the  pilot  on 
the  first  sloop.  As  soon  as  our  engines  began  to  work  and 
we  moved  quickly,  we  saw  to  right  and  left  dark  motionless 
masses.  We  hailed  them,  and  they  answered  us  ; they  were 
torpedo  boats  which  were  aground.  Our  “ Shutka  ” set  sev- 
eral of  them  afloat  ; but  they  must  have  run  ashore  again 
later,  for  the  progress  made  was  slow. 

According  to  our  plan  we  were  to  reach  the  Danube  before 
dawn  and  at  once  lay  torpedoes  ; but  it  fell  out  differently  : 
daylight  came,  and  no  boat  had  yet  reached  the  channel. 
We  found  the  spot  where  we  had  fixed  the  posts.  Just  as 
Skrydloff  had  foretold,  we  were  nearly  the  first  in  the  channel 
of  the  Danube  : no  one  was  before  us  except  Ch.  with  the 
second  torpedo  boat,  which,  as  it  excelled  the  others  in  light- 
ness and  speed,  was  the  one  fixed  upon  to  carry  out  the 
attack.  In  speed  our  “ Shutka  took  the  second  place. 

We  stayed  for  a long  time  in  one  place  in  order  that  the 
others  might  come  up  with  us,  and  then  steamed  along  beside 
a little  island,  whose  thick  trees  concealed  us  from  the 
observation  of  the  Turks.  To  approach  secretly  and  lay  a 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


69 


torpedo  by  the  Turkish  bank,  as  had  been  planned,  was  evi- 
dently out  of  the  question  ; besides,  all  the  torpedo  boats, 
except  ours  and  perhaps  two  others,  smoked  and  snorted  terri- 
bly, so  that  our  squadron  would  have  been  betrayed  by  that 
alone. 

We  had  scarcely  come  out  from  behind  the  first  island 
when  smoke  rose  near  the  sentry-box  on  the  opposite  bank. 
A shot  fell  ; then  a second,  a third,  and  more  and  more  the 
farther  we  went.  The  bank  was  not  far  off,  and  we  could  see 
clearly  the  soldiers  running  hither  and  thither  in  confusion. 
Fresh  riflemen  soon  came  up,  especially  Tcherkesses,  who 
rained  upon  us  a regular  shower  of  bullets. 

Novikoff  overtook  us.  He  stood  at  the  helm,  resting  his 
elbows  on  the  iron  roof  of  the  torpedo  boat,  and  paying  no 
attention  to  the  bullets,  for  which  his  stout  figure,  wrapped 
in  a mantle,  presented  a good  target. 

The  quantity  of  shot  that  fell  made  it  rather  hot  for  us  ; 
the  bank  was  literally  covered  with  riflemen,  whose  bullets 
made  a noise  like  the  continuous  rolling  of  drums.  The  tor- 
pedo boats  moved  on  heavily  and  silently  ; the  first  had 
already  begun  their  work  by  the  bank  when  the  last  were  just 
entering  the  river.  'The  sun  had  long  since  risen  ; it  was  a 
bright  summer  morning,  with  a gentle  breeze  ruffling  the 
water.  Under  a persistent  fire  the  torpedoes  had  been  laid  ; 
but  the  blue-jackets  committed  the  great  mistake  of  not  going 
at  once  straight  to  the  right  or  Turkish  bank,  but  beginning 
from  the  left  bank.  The  first  torpedoes  were  laid  quite  cor- 
rectly ; toward  the  middle,  too.  Midshipman  Niloff  laid  his 
torpedoes,  but,  being  hurried,  he  did  not  lay  them  quite 
properly,  and  so  they  came  to  the  surface  again.  Further 
than  this,  none  of  the  officers  ventured  to  go,  and  half  of  the 
channel  therefore  remained  passable.  This  mistake  was  rec- 
tified by  Podiapolski  in  the  night.  Nevertheless  the  Turks 
might  easily  have  broken  through,  and  the  fact  that  they  did 
not  attempt  to  do  so  can  only  be  attributed  to  the  fear  with 
which  they  had  been  inspired  by  the  previous  blowing  up  of 
their  vessels  by  Russian  torpedoes. 

Our  two  torpedo  boats  in  the  mean  time  were  concealed 
behind  the  bushes  of  a small  island  which  lies  a little  below 
the  spot  where  our  operations  were  being  carried  on.  We 


70 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


certainly  heard  a noise  in  the  brushwood  on  the  island,  but 
paid  no  attention  to  it.  Suddenly  two  boats  appeared  and 
made  rapidly  tOM^ard  us.  We  were  just  preparing  to  receive 
them  with  the  little  hand-torpedoes  which  Skrydloff  had 
ready  in  the  event  of  a hand-to-hand  fight,  when  the  sup- 
posed enemies  disclosed  themselves  as  Cossacks,  who  had 
reached  the  island  before  us  to  cover  our  operations.  Their 
presence  was  due  to  Skobeleff,  and,  to  say  the  truth,  was  not 
of  the  slightest  use. 

From  the  direction  of  Rustchuk  a Turkish  steamer  began 
firing  on  our  flotilla,  but  without  doing  any  damage  at  all. 
“ Nikolai  Larionovitch,”  said  I to  Skrydloff,  “ why  do  you 
not  attack  her?  ” “ Why  touch  her,  when  she  does  not  come 

close^  and  her  firing  does  no  harm  ? ” The  steamer  soon 
steamed  away,  probably  to  fetch  assistance.  Then  Novikoff’s 
torpedo  boat  was  brought  up  to  us.  ‘‘  Nikolai  Larionovitch, 
why  did  you  not  attack  that  ironclad  ?”  ‘‘That  is  not  an  iron- 
clad, but  a steamer  ; I thought  you  only  ordered  an  attack 
in  the  event  of  her  coming  near.”  “ I ordered  you  to  attack 
in  any  case.  Have  the  goodness  to  do  it.”  “ Very  good, 
sir.”  Novikofl'  went  back  again  to  the  works.  “ Now,  my 
good  fellow,”  I said  to  Skrydloff,  “ you  will  see,  if  the  torpe- 
does are  badly  laid,  you  will  be  the  scapegoat  ; any  failure 
will  be  set  down  to  you.”  “ Now  I shall  attack,”  he  replied. 
“ My  orders  are  now  plain  and  clear.” 

Skrydloff  gave  orders  that  all  should  be  made  ready.  He 
took  up  his  position  in  the  bows,  where  he  could  keep  his 
eye  on  the  helm  and  bow  torpedo.  To  me  he  intrusted  the 
floating  stern  torpedo,  in  the  handling  of  which  , he  had 
already  instructed  me,  and  told  me  when  I was  to  throw  it, 
and  when  to  give  the  word  “ Fire  ! ” 

To  freshen  up  his  men  a little,  he  ordered  them' to  wash. 
“ Won’t  you  wash  ? ” he  asked  of  me.  “ Have  done  it  al- 
ready.” “ But  you  have  no  soap.” 

't  here  was  nothing  for  it  : I was  obliged  to  wash  again 
with  soap. 

We  all  put  on  cork  belts,  in  case  the  “ Shutka  ” should  blow 
up  and  we  should  fall  into  the  water,  which,  indeed,  would  be 
the  most  likely  consequence  of  the  explosion.  We  ate  a little 
chicken,  took  a sip  of  sherry,  and  then  my  friend  lay  down  to 
take  a nap,  and,  by  Heaven  ! his  iron  nerves  suffered  him 
actually  to  fall  asleep  ! 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


71 


I did  not  sleep  : I stood  at  the  stern  leading  on  to  the  iron 
roof  which  covered  the  engines,  and  looked  up  stream  toward 
Rustchuk.  “ She  is  coming  ! ” announced  one  of  the  sailors 
in  a low  voice.  And,  true  enough,  between  the  bank  and  the 
tall  trees  of  the  little  island  which  concealed  the  channel  of 
the  Danube,  smoke  was  rising  and  rapidly  approaching. 

“ Nikolai  Larionovitch,  get  up  : she  is  coming.”  Skrydloff 
started  up  : “Push  off!  Go  ahead  ! Full  speed!”  We  flew 
rapidly  along.  The  Turkish  vessels  were  not  yet  visible. 
“Nikolai  Larionovitch,”  I called  out  to  him  again,  “ a little 
slower,  so  that  we  may  meet  her  nearer  this  place;  otherwise 
we  shall  run  onto  the  Turkish  bank  ! ” “ None  of  that,  old 

fellow.  You  heard  my  instructions.  I shall  go  now  even  to 
Rustchuk  ! ” “ Well,  go  ahead  ! ” 

The  steamer  came  on  ; compared  with  the  “ Shutka  ” she 
seemed  to  be  enormously  large. 

Skrydloff  steered  straight  at  her,  and  with  the  speed  of  a 
locomotive  we  rushed  upon  her. 

What  confusion  there  was  ! — not  only  on  board  the  ship, 
but  also  on  the  bank.  They,  no  doubt,  guessed  that  the  little 
nutshell  was  carrying  destruction  to  the  steamer. 

The  riflemen  and  Tcherkesses  on  the  bank  rushed  head- 
long into  the  water,  in  order  to  fire  from  as  short  a distance  as 
possible.  Tne  bullets  rained  down  upon  us  ; the  whole  bank 
v/as  wrapped  in  thick  smoke.  On  the  deck  of  the  steamer 
the  crew  were  running  about  in  great  consternation.  We  saw 
the  officers  rush  to  the  helm  and  turn  the  ship  to  the  bank  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  they  gave  us  with  their  heavy  guns  such 
a salvo  as  made  the  poor  “ Shutka  ” stagger  in  her  course. 

“ Now  you  are  in  for  it,”  I thought  to  myself,  “ and  you 
won’t  get  out  alive.”  I took  off  my  boots,  and  advised  Skryd- 
loff to  do  the  same.  The  sailors  followed  our  example. 

I then  looked  round.  Not  one  of  the  torpedo  boats  was 
following  us.  It  was  supposed  that  something  had  happened 
to  their  engines. 

Whatever  was  the  cause,  the  “ Shutka  ” was  alone,  abso- 
lutely alone,  and  the  squadron  far  behind.  The  fire  became 
unbearable.  Our  vessel  trembled  under  the  rain  of  rifle-bul- 
lets ; the  cannon  shot  shook  her  so  that  she  seemed  to  be 
going  to  pieces.  There  were  already  several  holes  in  her 
sides,  and  one  at  the  stern,  near  the  spot  where  I stood,  was 
almost  on  the  water-line  ; the  iron  roof  that  protected  the 


72 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


engines  had  also  been  pierced.  The  sailors  hid  themselves 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sloop,  and  covered  themselves  with 
whatever  they  could  lay  hands  on  ; so  that  nothing  was  to  be 
seen  of  them,  except  part  of  the  face  of  one  gunner,  who  was 
holding  a buoy  in  front  of  him  for  protection,  but  was  other- 
wise as  motionless  as  a statue.  Now  we  were  quite  close  to 
the  steamer.  The  crashing  and  screaming  made  by  the  bullets 
and  shells  as  they  poured  into  the  “ Shutka  ” became  worse 
and  worse. 

Suddenly  I saw  Skrydloff,  who  was  sitting  at  the  helm, 
draw  himself  together, — he  had  been  struck  by  a bullet,  and 
was  almost  immediately  hit  again. 

Our  engineer,  looking  very  pale,  had  taken  off  his  cap  and 
was  praying  ; but  at  this  moment  he  took  courage,  and, 
drawing  out  his  watch,  called  to  Skrydloff  as  we  were  on  the 
point  of  delivering  our  blow,  Nikolai  Larionovitch,  five  min- 
utes past  eight.” 

In  spite  of  the  danger,  I observed  with  curiosity  the  Turks 
on  the  steamer  as  we  came  close  up  to  her.  They  stood 
there  as  if  turned  to  stone,  their  hands  raised  and  stretched 
out,  and  their  heads  bent  down  toward  us. 

At  the  last  minute  our  steersman  got  nervous  ; he  steered 
to  the  right,  and  the  current  carried  us  away  from  the 
steamer.  Skrydloff  turned  sharply  upon  him  : To  the  left, 

or  you  are  a dead  man,”  and  seized  the  helm  himself.  The 
‘‘Shutka”  turned,  came  slowly  alongside  the  hull  of  the 
steamer,  and  touched  her  with  her  torpedo-spar.  At  this 
moment  there  was  the  deepest  silence  among  us  as  well  as 
among  the  enemy  ; still  as  death,  we  awaited  the  explosion. 

“ Has  she  gone  off?  ” asked  the  gunner,  who  was  crouch- 
ing at  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

“ Not  yet,”  I answered  in  a whisper. 

“ Fire  ! ” again  cried  Skrydloff  ; but  again  no  explosion 
followed. 

In  the  mean  time  the  current  had  caught  hold  of  us,  and  our 
broken  torpedo-spar  became  entangled  in  the  steamer’s  ropes. 
The  Turks  recovered  their  presence  of  mind  and  poured  a 
worse  fire  than  ever  upon  us  from  the  bank.  When  the  tor- 
pedo-spar had  been  cut  away  at  Skrydloff’s  command,  we  at 
length  got  free.  The  steamer  turned  broadside  on,  and 
raised  such  waves  that  the  “ Shutka,”  which  had  been  badly 
injured,  began  to  fill  with  water  ; in  addition  to  this  misfort- 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


73 


une,  the  engines  worked  slower  and  slower,  so  that  we  should 
have  made  no  way  at  all  but  for  the  current. 

Supposing  that  we  were  going  to  the  bottom  the  next 
moment,  I stood  up  and  put  one  foot  on  the  gunwale.  I'hen 
came  a violent  crash  under  me  and  a blow  on  my  hip — such 
a blow  as  might  have  come  from  an  axe.  I fell  headlong, 
but  got  up  again  directly. 

The  current  carried  us  along  very  near  to  the  Turkish 
bank,  whence  the  Turks  now  fired  in  close  proximity.  It 
was  truly  a wonder  they  did  not  kill  us  all.  They  ran  along 
behind  and  fired  at  us,  abusing  us,  as  we  could  distinctly 
hear,  into  the  bargain.  I tried  to  answer  with  a few  shots, 


SKRYDLOFF. 


but  soon  gave  it  up,  as  I saw  the  uselessness  of  the  attempt. 

The  current  carried  us  a considerable  distance  away.  In 
our  rear  was  a line  of  trading  vessels  which  were  at  anchor 
between  the  bank  and  the  little  island  in  the  right  arm  of  the 
river.  On  the  left  stretched  the  same  island  with  its  large 
many-branched  willows  ; the  arm  of  the  river  at  this  spot 


74 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


is  very  narrow.  The  steamer  did  not  pursue  us,  but  from 
the  fort  an  ironclad  was  making  toward  us  at  full  steam  ; 
the  steamer  had  probably  summoned  her  to  its  aid. 

“ Nikolai  Larionovitch  ! ” I cried,  as  loud  as  I could  (for 
the  firing  drowned  our  voices),  “Nikolai  Larionovitch,  do 
you  see  the  ironclad  ? ” “ Of  course  I do.”  “ What  do  you 

mean  to  do  ? ” “ ^Attack  her  with  your  torpedo  : get  it  . 

ready.” 

For  us,  who  were  half  sunk  and  borne  along  by  the  cur- 
rent, an  attack  was  a difficult  matter  ; but  there  was  no  other 
course  open.  The  ironclad  came  up  and  fired  twice  at  us. 
The  rope  which  held  the  torpedo  was  cut  through,  and  I 
told  the  gunner  to  be  ready  to  launch  it.  Then  suddenly, 
to  our  joy,  the  arm  of  the  river  came  in  sight  at  the  end  of 
the  island  on  the  left,  and  by  forcing  our  engines  to  a final 
effort  we  just  escaped. 

Here  at  last  we  breathed  freely.  Large  ships  could  no 
longer  follow  us,  and  the  ironclad  had  to  be  content  with 
firing  a shot  after  us. 

As  the  “ Shutka  ” was  sinking  deeper  and  deeper,  Skryd- 
loff  gave  orders  to  wrap  the  hull  round  with  sailcloth  ; thus 
we  might  hope  to  get  home  in  safety. 

Protected  by  the  little  island  we  examined  our  injuries 
more  closely.  The  “ Shutka  ” was  completely  crushed  by 
the  shots,  and  seemed  as  if  she  would  be  of  no  further  use  ; 
she  was  pierced  not  only  above  but  also  below  the  water-line  : 
we  threw  overboard  several  handfuls  of  the  enemy’s  bullets. 
Skrydloff  had  two  wounds  in  his  legs  and  a bruised  hand  ; I 
had  been  wounded  in  the  fleshy  part  of  the  thigh.  When  I 
got  on  my  feet  after  the  blow,  although  I was  able  to  stand 
upright,  yet  I felt  a discomfort  in  my  right  leg,  and  I began 
to  feel  the  part.  My  trousers  were  pierced  in  two  places, 
and  my  finger  went  right  into  the  flesh.  Oh  ! am  I really 
wounded  ? Such  was  the  fact  : my  whole  hand  was  bloody. 
And  so  this  is  being  wounded  ! how  simple  it  is  ! — I had 
always  thought  it  was  much  more  complicated.  The  bullet 
or  grapeshot  struck  the  bottom  of  the  sloop,  and  as  it 
rebounded  pierced  the  muscle  of  the  hip  close  to  the  bone. 

If  the  latter  had  been  hit,  death  would  have  been  certain. 

Not  one  of  the  sailors  was  wounded.  Curiously  enough, 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


75 


it  now  came  out  that  the  terrible  hre  had  cut  the  conducting 
wire  and  had  thereby  prevented  the  explosion  of  the  torpedo. 
“ The  conducting  wires  are  broken,  sir,”  reported  the  gunner 
to  Skrydloff.  “ Impossible.”  “ It  is  so  : will  you  kindly 
look  yourself.”  Skrydloff  was  not  a little  pleased  at  this,  for 
now  the  accusation  of  ignorance,  want  of  skill,  or  even  of 
carelessness,  which  his  friends  would  certainly  have  brought 
against  him,  could  not  be  raised.  As  we  left  the  steamer 
behind  us,  Skrydloff  only  complained  that  the  breaking  of 
the  spar  and  the  want  of  steam  did  not  allow  a repetition  of 
the  attack  with  the  bow  torpedo.  To  be  sure,  we  were  then 
running  straight  at  the  ironclad,  and  we  could  still  have 
made  an  attack  with  the  stern  torpedo  ; but  this  prospect 
seemed  to  interest  him  much  less.  My  friend  tore  his  hair, 
and  cried  with  such  a voice  of  despair  that  I really  pitied  him  : 
“ So  much  work,  trouble,  and  preparation,  and  all  in  vain.” 
Do  stop,”  I called  to  him  : “ what  is  the  use  of  this  lamenta- 
tion ? It  was  a failure,  but  not  from  ignorance.  ” And  when 
our  Nikolai  Larionovitch  discovered  that  under  the  actual 
circumstances  an  explosion  was  impossible,  he  became  more 
cheerful  and  his  distress  vanished. 

The  only  question  that  remained  to  be  decided  was  why 
the  second  torpedo  boat  had  not  followed  us  when  we  made 
our  attack.  We  found  no  answer.  We  are  justified  in 
believing  that  this  was  the  first  and  the  last  occasion  on 
which  an  enemy’s  ship  was  attacked  by  a single  torpedo  boat. 
On  the  whole  the  result  was  satisfactory,  for  the  steamer  as 
well  as  the  ironclad  turned  tail.  And  therefore  the  object  of 
the  attack  had  been  attained. 

* 

I may  here  be  allowed  to  say  a few  words  about  volun- 
teers, who  are  declared  by  a specialist  in  Kronstadt  to  be 
only  an  incumbrance  in  battle.  My  opinion  is  just  the 
reverse  of  this.  If  a volunteer  understands  discipline,  and 
also  the  affair  in  hand,  he  will  as  a matter  of  course  be  not 
only  brave,  but  (what  is  very  important)  cool  also.  When, 
for  example,  the  second  torpedo  had  to  be  gotten  ready,  the 
gunner  was  so  timid  that  he  unconsciously  turned  round  and 
round  in  confusion.  I pulled  out  my  knife  to  cut  the  cord. 
Another  gunner  also  seemed  not  to  have  all  his  wits  about 
him  before  the  attack  ; for  without  any  cause  he  touched  the 


;6 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


conducting  apparatus  which  carries  the  current  to  the  torpedo 
when  we  were  still  at  a considerable  distance  from  the  enemy. 
And  the  helmsman  already  mentioned  steered,  in  his  nervous- 
ness, in  a wrong  direction,  and,  moreover,  turned  to  Skrydloff 
and  asked  if  it  were  not  better  to  pass.  All  these  instances 
seemed  to  me  to  prove  that  a sailor  or  a soldier  who  is  forced 
to  go  forward  does  not  do  so  with  the  same  degree  of  com- 
posure and  presence  of  mind  as  the  volunteer  who  wishes  to 
go  forward. 

After  we  had  left  our  place  of  refuge  Skrydloff  went  to 
Novikoff  to  report.  All  the  officers  were  standing  on  the 
bank.  They  did  not  seem  to  know  what  had  happened  to 
us,  for  the  island  had  hidden  us  from  sight  during  the 
attack. 

Did  you  blow  them  up  ? ” they  called  out  as  we  came 
toward  them.  “ No,”  replied  Skrydloff;  ‘‘their  fire  was 
too  heavy  and  cut  the  conducting  wires.  Vassili  Vassilie- 
vitch  and  I are  wounded.”  General  silence  followed,  in 
which  disapproval  was  manifest  ; only  the  kindly  Novikoff 
threw  Skrydloff  a kiss  and  thanked  him  for  the  unequal  com- 
bat. 

Our  men  rested,  breakfasted,  and  got  ready  to  move  on. 
They  dragged  us  up  the  Roumanian  bank.  A stretcher  was 
made  of  oars  and  Skrydloff  laid  upon  it  ; I went  on  foot. 
During  the  excitement  I felt  neither  pain  nor  fatigue,  but  by 
the  time  we  had  gone  a mile  I was  leaning  nearly  my  whole 
weight  on  the  sailors  who  were  supporting  me.  On  the  bank 
we  met  Skobeleff  and  Strukoff,  who  had  watched  the  laying 
of  the  torpedoes  from  a distance.  Skobeleff,  who  embraced 
and  kissed  us,  cried,  “ What  brave  fellows,  brave  fellows  ! ” 
This  bravest  of  the  brave  was  evidently  envious  because  he 
had  not  been  wounded.  They  took  us  into  the  village  of 
Parapan,  where  we  were  lodged  in  the  house  of  a landowner  ; 
it  was  the  house  where  Wulfert  lived  and  where  I had  made 
Dragomiroff’s  acquaintance. 

Soon  after,  a battery  of  horse  artillery  came  at  a gallop 
from  Rustchuk  and  began  unlimbering  their  guns  just  oppo- 
site to  the  spot  where  the  bluejackets  were  resting.  Strukoff 
gave  notice  to  the  flotilla  in  good  time,  and  it  was  able  to 
move  away  up  stream  to  lay  the  other  line  of  torpedoes. 
The  battery  fired  upon  the  boats  and  the  things  which  the 
sailors  had  imprudently  left  scattered  about,  and  bombarded 


ON  THE  DANUBE. 


77 


our  house.  On  this  occasion  I made  the  officers  who  were 
present  laugh,  quite  unintentionally.  It  happened  thus  : 
They  proposed  that  we  should  migrate  to  a peasant’s  house 
farther  up  the  village,  so  as  to  be  out  of  range.  Skrydloff 
assented  ; but  I objected,  because  staying  in  a peasant’s 
house  presented  a prospect  of  flea-bites  ; and  I still  think  my 
objection  was  not  ill-founded. 


III. 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS, 
1877-1878. 

In  order  to  join  Skobeleff’s  detachment  I left  Plevna. 
At  Bogot,  where  our  headquarters  then  were,  I sent  in  my 
name  to  the  commander-in-chief,  who  received  me  at  once 
in  the  kindest  manner.  In  the  course  of  conversation  I 
sketched  for  him  the  outline  of  the  Turkish  fortifications  at 
Shandornik  on  the  high  road  to  Sofia,  and  a rough  plan  of 
our  positions.  The  Grand  Duke  was  rather  excited,  because 
Gourko  was  to  come  down  from  the  mountains  at  that  place 
on  that  very  day.  “ Ah,  if  it  only  succeeds  ! if  it  only  suc- 
ceeds ! ” repeated  the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas,  passing  his  hand 
over  his  forehead  as  if  he  would  drive  away  his  apprehensions. 
I assured  him  there  was  no  cause  for  fear  ; Gourko’s  trcops 
would  certainly  leave  the  mountains  without  fail.  “ Then 
au  revoir — there,”  he  added,  pointing  with  his  hand  in  the 
. direction  of  the  Balkans. 

Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour  I could  get  nothing  to 
eat  at  headquarters,  and  was  obliged  to  appease  my  hunger 
in  a sutler’s  tent.  It  was  very  late  indeed  when  I started  on 
the  road  to  Loftsha,  on  my  long-legged  Caucasian  horse. 

To  my  great  grief,  I was  soon  obliged  to  acknowledge  to 
myself  that  the  new  horse  I had  recently  bought  was  fit  for 
nothing.  It  could  neither  walk,  nor  trot,  nor  gallop.  “Buy- 
ing horses  of  Prince  O.  is  to  be  discontinued  in  future,”  said 
I to  myself  ; for  he  had  sold  me  a used-up  nag. 

..it  a Turkish  village  five  versts  from  I oftsha  I halted  for 
the  night.  As  I was  asking  for  admission  into  one  of  the 
houses  a soldier  came  running  up  to  me.  “ Please  not  to 
knock,  sir  ; we  are  here  to  assign  quarters.”  “ Then  show 
me  some  quickly.”  I was  quartered  somewhere  at  the  end 
of  the  village,  but  the  cottage  was  clean.  They  brought  me 
a chicken,  and  gave  my  horse  hay,  and  even  oats,  which 
would  have  been  scarcely  obtainable  in  a Bulgarian  village. 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


79 


In  the  Bulgarian  villages  we  did  what  we  pleased  and  took 
what  we  liked,  but  the  Turkish  villages  were  protected  from 
this  treatment  by  the  military  authorities.  The  privilege  we 
exercised  as  friends  and  brothers  was,  as  may  be  seen,  not 
exactly  advantageous  to  the  Bulgarians. 

My  stay  in  Loftsha  was  not  long.  I entered  it  in  the 
morning  and  left  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  The  town 
lies  in  a valley,  protected  by  the  steep  bank  of  the  Osma  and 
by  surrounding  hills,  which  were  so  strongly  fortified  that  we 
should  scarcely  have  taken  it  but  for  Skobeleff. 

The  storming  of  Loftsha  was  bloody  indeed  ; the  dead 
literally  filled  the  trenches,  my  brother  told  me.  Skobeleffs 
composure  on  that  day,  he  said,  struck  him  as  most  astonish- 
ing. Among  other  incidents,  my  brother  m.entioned  the 
following  : Skobeleff  gave  me  orders  to  lead  a battalion  to 

a certain  point.  We  marched  on  as  long  as  there  were 
buildings  to  shelter  us ; but  when  we  came  to  the  open 
ground  advance  was  quite  impossible.  Whoever  tried  it  fell 
dead  or  wounded.  I dismounted  and  halted  the  battal- 
ion, seeing  that  a further  advance  meant  its  annihilation. 
But  just  at  that  moment  what  did  I see  but  Skobeleff  riding 
calmly  at  a walk  across  the  fatal  space,  with  shot  and  shell 
whistling  round  him  ! When  I saw  him  I reproached  my- 
self bitterly  for  my  cowardice.  ” 

On  leaving  Loftsha  I fell  in  with  the  commander-in- 
chiefs drunken  coachman.  The  inebriated  charioteer  was 
noisy,  and  quarrelled  with  everybody  on  the  high  road. 
When  I requested  him  to  leave  me  room  to  pass  he  replied 
with  abuse.  I struck  out  with  my  whip  and  gave  him  a cut. 
This  proved  effectual,  but  the  drunken  fellow  threatened 
to  complain  to  his  master  ; to  do  which  I also  urged  him, 
in  order  that  the  Grand  Duke  might  learn  what  a bad  coach- 
man he  was,  and  get  rid  of  him. 

% 

* 

I reached  the  town  of  Selvi,  whither  my  brother  had  been 
sent  immediately  after  the  passage  of  the  Danube.  The 
Bashi-bazouks  had  threatened  to  plunder  and  burn  the  town, 
and  the  terrified  inhabitants  had  sent  a deputation  to  the 
Grand  Duke  to  beg  for  assistance. 

My  brother,  who  had  sent  off  his  brigade  to  reconnoitre, 
happened  to  be  at  hand,  and  the  Grand  Duke  dispatched 


8o 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


him  with  his  half-sotnia  of  Caucasian  Cossacks  against  the 
Turks.  He  easily  accomplished  his  mission.  The  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town  presented  him  in  consequence  with  a very 
curious  address  of  thanks,  which  enumerated  his  deeds. 
During  my  stay  in  Selvi  I had  an  opportunity  of  discovering 
in  the  bazaar  that  his  name  was  very  popular.  On  making 
a purchase,  it  was  sufficient  to  order  that  the  goods  should 
be  delivered  to  “ Alexander  ” ; the  merchants  at  once  knew 
who  was  meant ; the  whole  town,  in  fact,  knew  that  Selvi’s 
deliverer  was  back  again. 

When  Skobeleff  arrived  at  Selvi,  I found  him  engaged  with 
the  divisional  commanders.  When  I gave  him  a message 
from  the  Grand  Duke,  he  observed,  ‘‘  Radetski  will  not  go  to 
the  rescue  ; he  says,  ‘ Go  if  you  like  ; I shall  not  stir.’  Well, 
we  will  go  and,  if  necessary,  die  gloriously.”  That  was 
Skobeleff’s  favorite  phrase.  But  I hoped  that  it  would  not 
come  to  that,  for  I did  not  so  much  want  to  die  gloriously  as 
to  witness  the  passage  of  the  troops  over  the  snow-covered 
mountains,  and  the  decisive  battle  which  now  seemed  inevi- 
table. 

The  plan  of  crossing  the  Balkans  by  turning  the  enemy’s 
position  at  the  Shipka  had  been  projected  long  before  by 
General  Radetski,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  by  the  chief 
of  his  staff,  Dmitroffski.  The  plan  had  been  approved  at 
headquarters,  but  the  serious  state  of  affairs  at  Plevna  pre- 
vented its  execution.  Now  Plevna  had  fallen,  and  the  plan 
which  had  been  laid  aside  was  taken  up  again.  Two  col- 
umns, commanded  respectively  by  Generals  Sviatopolk- 
Mirski  and  Skobeleff,  were  fitted  out  to  conduct  this  flank 
movement,  and  Radetski  received  corresponding  orders. 

Radetski  was  alarmed.  “ I certainly  proposed  this  plan,” 
so  ran  his  answer,  “ but  at  a time  when  there  was  no  snow  on 
the  mountains.  It  is  no  longer  practicable.”  Dmitroffski 
was  extremely  perturbed  : in  his  opinion  the  columns  would 
inevitably  be  swallowed  up  in  the  banks  and  drifts  of  snow. 
The  Grand  Duke,  however,  kept  to  his  purpose,  and  the  col- 
umns were  dispatched  under  Skobeleff  and  Sviatopolk- 
Mirski.  When  Radetski  saw  that  his  protests  were  unheeded, 
he  washed  his  hands  of  the  matter.  “Let  them  go,”  he 
said  ; “ I shall  not  stir,  for  I have  not  taken  leave  of  my 
senses.” 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


8 


Skobeleff  and  Kuropatkin  (the  chief  of  his  staff)  had  no 
small  trouble  in  procuring  the  necessary  means  of  transport 
for  the  division.  Skobeleff,  with  that  thoughtfulness  and 
prudence  which  always  characterized  him,  had  long  before 
prepared  saddles  and  everything  necessary  for  his  division 
(the  i6th),  and  had  had  them  sent  to  Selvi  and  Tirnovo. 
But  Sviatopolk-Mirski’s  division,  passing  through  these  places 
before  him,  took  these  supplies  in  requisition  without  further 
ceremony.  So  everything  had  to  be  procured  afresh.  Kuro- 
patkin hastened  to  Tirnovo.  With  the  support  of  the  gov- 
ernor, Stcherbinski,  he  succeeded  in  a few  days  in  acquiring 
what  was  necessary. 

We  soon  advanced  toward  Gabrovo.  The  commander- 
in-chief  and  his  staff  were  to  take  up  their  quarters  in  Selvi. 
Gabrovo  was  very  lively  : the  whole  place  was  in  commotion. 
At  Skobeleff’s  dinner-table  new  faces  appeared,  the  divisional 
commanders  of  his  detachment,  some  of  them — for  instance, 
a colonel  of  the  rifles — very  original  characters.  Skobeleff, 
among  other  matters,  bade  us  remember  that  during  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Balkans  he  should  not  keep  open  table — not  very 
pleasant  news  for  us,  though,  for  myself,  I had  a little  store 
of  preserves  and  necessaries  for  cooking. 

In  the  town  there  was  ceaseless  stir,  noise,  and  confusion. 
A vast  mass  of  people  of  all  kinds  rolled  continuously 
through  the  streets.  It  is  really  wonderful  that  spies  did 
not  slip  in  among  them,  who  might  have  betrayed  to  the 
Turks  our  preparations  for  turning  their  position.  As  it  was, 
the  Turks  were  taken  completely  by  surprise  ; it  had  never 
occurred  to  them  that  danger  could  threaten  them  on  their 
flank  at  such  a season. 

I had  ridden  out  with  X.,  one  of  Skobeleff’s  orderlies,  to 
see  some  of  his  Bulgarian  acquaintances.  On  our  return  I 
met  the  general  in  the  square.  “ I am  looking  for  a horse,” 
he  said,  praising  my  ambling  nag.  ‘‘  Take  this  one.”  “ No, 
thank  you,”  Skobeleff  replied  ; “ I must  have  a gray.  Is 
there  not  a gray?”  “I  have  a gray,”  said  I,  “but  it  is 
small  and  will  scarcely  carry  you.”  From  the  dragoons  he 
got  a handsome  white  horse.  Later,  as  I was  riding  to  the 
Shipka  to  visit  some  old  acquaintances,  I met  Skobeleff  com- 
ing back  from  there  at  a gallop  through  deep  snow.  “ The 
new  horse,”  thought  I to  myself,  “ will  not  hold  out  long.” 

Skobeleff  had  seen  Radetski  again,  received  orders  from 
6 


82 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


him,  and  heard  again  from  his  own  lips  that  he  would  not 
stir.  That  same  evening,  when  I paid  a visit  to  my  old  Tur- 
kestan acquaintance,  General  Dmitroffski,  at  Gabrovo,  I 
found  him  much  excited.  He  could  not  accustom  himself  to 
the  idea  of  a winter  campaign  at  all,  and  far  into  the  night  he 
talked  to  me  of  the  imprudence,  not  to  say  folly,  of  our 
advance. 

Skobeleff,  on  the  other  hand,  was  convinced  that  the 
undertaking  would  be  successful.  When  we  started  for  the 
village  of  Toplish  the  troops  were  already  beyond  that  place. 

* 

* ^ 

My  Cossack,  Kurbatoff,  was,  of  course,  not  ready  at  the 
time  of  departure,  and  I was  imprudent  enough  to  leave  him 
behind  at  his  request  till  the  following  day.  He  was  to  over- 
take me  ; but  to  my  no  small  vexation,  several  days  passed 
by,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  my  Cossack.  On  the  way  I 
had  to  do  without  several  things,  and  I was  therefore  glad 
when  I reached  Toplish.  Night  had  set  in.  I was  soon 
obliged  to  give  up  my  hopes  of  a night’s  lodging,  for  every 
room  in  the  village  had  been  filled  to  overflowing  since  .the 
morning.  I forced  my  way  into  Skobeleff’s  quarters,  but  he 
had  already  retired  to  rest,  and  lay  in  that  deep  sleep  which 
he  generally  enjoyed  before  the  commencement  of  an  import- 
ant undertaking.  I endeavored  in  vain  to  reconcile  this 
power  of  sleep  with  Skobeleff’s  highly  strung  nerves. 

At  the  quarters  of  the  chief  doctor  of  the  division  (with 
whom,  if  I remember  rightly,  I had  become  acquainted  at  one 
of  the  ambulance  tents  at  Plevna)  I was  fortunate  enough  to 
get  a glass  of  tea.  I passed  the  night  on  the  floor  of  a cot- 
tage ; my  fellow  lodgers  were  unknown  to  me.  The  next 
morning  my  Cossack  had  still  not  arrived  with  my  things.  I 
promised  myself  never  to  leave  him  behind  again. 

The  troops  were  already  marching  up  the  mountains  in 
long  lines.  In  order  to  reach  Skobeleff  I had  to  force  my 
way  past  them,  which  it  was  not  easy  to  do  without  almost 
impaling  oneself  on  the  bayonets.  For  nearly  four-and- 
twenty  hours  previous  the  sappers  had  been  at  work  shovel- 
ling away  the  snow  ; but  a good  deal  still  lay  on  the  road, 
while  on  each  side  it  was  piled  up  in  walls  as  high  as  a man. 
It  was  therefore  impossible  to  leave  the  road.  The  soldiers 
laughed  and  joked  as  they  marched.  Raise  your  bayonets  ; 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


83 


hold  your  bayonets  out  of  the  way,”  rank  after  rank  called  out 
when  a horseman  appeared,  “ or  else  he  will  poke  his  eyes  out.” 
One  had  regularly  to  practice  gymnastics  in  the  saddle  in 
order  to  avoid  the  bayonets  of  the  soldiers  as  they  climbed 
the  steep  ascent,  and  to  keep  one’s  knees  from  knocking 
against  their  knapsacks.  As  it  was,  I bruised  my  knee  finely. 

The  hardest  work  fell  to  the  lot  of  a sotnia  of  Ural  Cos- 
sacks, who  were  marching  at  the  head  with  guides.  They 
had  to  wade  through  masses  of  snow,  and  their  horses  often 
sank  altogether.  They  were  commanded  by  Sotnik  Kirilin, 
whom  I had  known  in  Turkestan.  These  Cossacks  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  sappers  already  mentioned,  one  company 
strong,  under  the  command  of  Laskofski,  aide-de-camp  to 
the  commander-in-chief. 

A sad  sight  met  us  at  one  spot  on  the  road.  A group  of 
musicians  were  resting  on  a mound  of  snow  just  beside 
the  road,  huddled  together,  shivering  with  cold.  The  instru- 
ments in  their  cases,  some  of  them  of  huge  size,  lay  round 
about  in  the  snow.  Poor  musicians  ! 

We  halted  rather  early  on  a high  plain  opposite  the  moun- 
tains called  the  ‘‘Pillars  of  Marcus.”  Under  some  trees  to 
the  right  a resting  place  was  made  for  Skobeleff  m the  snow  ; 
our  camping-place  was  close  by,  near  the  road.  A small 
supply  of  preserves,  coffee,  and  chocolate  was  produced  from 
my  stores  and  immediately  consumed,  as  no  one  else  had 
brought  anything.  We  fed  the  horses  too  with  preserved 
fodder,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  care  about  it.  The  troops 
encamped  round  about  us,  and  their  camp-fires  blazed  up 
up  in  all  directions  ; for  though  the  light  of  these  fires  might 
have  betrayed  us  to  the  Turks,  Skobeleff  thought  that  human 
enemies  were  not  so  much  to  be  feared  as  the  frost,  which 
was  very  severe.  It  was  most  fortunate  for  the  detachment 
that  there  was  no  snowstorm,  not  even  wind.  It  must  also 
be  mentioned  that  Skobeleff’s  care  extended  to  everything  : 
all  the  soldiers  had  waist-belts,  and  on  their  feet  bandages 
soaked  in  tallow  ; moreover,  each  soldier  had  with  him  tea 
and  cold  meat.  Finally,  in  order  to  ward  off  the  danger  of 
freezing  to  death,  the  order  had  been  given  that  the  soldiers 
were  not  to  let  each  other  sleep. 

I covered  myself  with  everything  I had — a felt  cloak,  a 


84 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


rug,  and  a fur  cape  ; and  yet  I felt,  although  I lay  close  to 
the  fire,  that  1 was  beginning  to  get  numb  with  cold.  How- 
ever much  I twisted  and  turned,  it  was  of  no  use  ; I was 
obliged  to  renounce  the  comfort  to  slumber.  I rose,  lighted 
a cigar,  and  awaited  the  coming  day  by  the  fire. 

A portion  of  the  troops  resumed  their  march  while  it  was 
yet  dark,  and  we  followed  them  at  the  first  sign  of  dawn. 
I was  just  sketching  the  trenches  which  had  been  made  in 
the  snow  on  the  side  facing  the  Turkish  position,  when  Sko- 
beleff  overtook  and  passed  us,  making  his  horse  gallop  even 
on  this  road. 

The  astonishment  of  the  Turks  as  we  came  out  of  the 
woods  on  the  open  slope  of  the  mountain  facing  them  may 
be  imagined.  They  tried  to  fire  a few  shots  at  us,  but  could 
not  hurt  us,  as  we  were  not  yet  within  the  range  of  their 
guns. 

From  the  point  we  had  now  reached  the  positions  of  the 
Turkish  troops,  as  well  as  of  our  own,  were  clearly  visible.  We 
saw  Mount  St.  Nicholas,  on  which  our  brave  soldiers  were 
awaiting  with  impatience  the  result  of  the  march  by  which 
we  were  turning  the  Turkish  position,  for  it  would  bring 
them  release  from  their  wearisome  sojourn  in  the  snowy 
mud-huts  of  the  Shipka  Pass.  There  was  the  Turkish  posi- 
tion on  the  “ Bald  Mountain,”  as  it  was  called,  the  Turks 
standing  in  large  groups,  and  probably  talking  of  what  fate 
had  in  store  for  them.  They  were  no  longer  able  to  hinder 
our  march  ; in  this  snow  an  attack  on  our  flank  was  not  to 
be  thought  of  ; it  would  be  very  un-Turkish,  for  the  Turks 
do  not  like  the  snow.  They  might  have  prevented  our 
descent,  but  we  were  already  in  the  act  of  descending. 

At  the  top,  where  it  began  to  descend,  the  road  ran 
between  two  considerable  heights.  Being  an  old  soldier,  I 
at  once  observed  to  Kuropatkin  that  both  these  heights 
ought  immediately  to  be  strongly  occupied.  “ What  are  you 
saying  ? ” asked  Skobeleff,  who  was  at  that  moment  riding 
just  in  front  of  us.  “ I said  that  these  heights  which  com- 
mand the  descent  ought  in  any  case  to  be  occupied.”  “Yes, 
yes.  Alexi  Nicholaiewitch,”  turning  to  Kuropatkin,  “ that  is 
right  ; have  the  heights  occupied  at  once,  and  let  the  men 
intrench  themselves.”  “ Very  well,  sir,”  replied  the  colonel, 
not  altogether  pleased  ; for  military  men  do  not  like  listen- 
ing to  the  advice  of  a civilian — although  I,  perhaps,  had  a 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


85 


better  claim  to  call  myself  a soldier  than  most  of  the  officers 
of  the  detachment.  Skobeleff,  however,  was  above  that  sort 
of  thing,  and  was  always  ready  to  follow  sensible  advice, 
from  whomsoever  it  might  come. 


86 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Colonel  Kuropatkin  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  offi- 
cers in  the  army  : small,  and  with  a not  particular!}^  good 
figure,  but  clever  and  cool-headed.  In  many  traits  of  his 
character  he  was  exactly  the  opposite  of  Skobeleff,  who 
esteemed  him  very  highly,  although  he  constantly  found 
himself  at  variance  with  him.  In  such  discussions  the  chief 
of  the  staff,  with  his  cool  and  calculating  spirit,  was  generally 
more  in  the  right  than  the  fiery  general  who  was  so  easily 
carried  away  ; but  this  was  only  the  case  in  details  and  sub- 
ordinate matters,  for  Skobeleff s view  of  large  questions  was 
certainly  keener.  For  instance,  with  regard  to  the  possibility 
of  a winter  march  over  the  Balkans — a question  on  whose 
decision  the  whole  issue  of  the  war  largely  depended — Kuro- 
patkin was  of  the  opinion  of  Radetski  and  Dmitroski  ; i.e. 
he  was  entirely  against  this  expedition,  and  called  it  a mad, 
ruinous  proceeding,  etc.  Skobeleff,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
in  favor  of  the  expedition,  and  was  firmly  convinced  that  it 
would  have  a successful  termination.  ‘‘  i\nd  if  we  do  not 
get  across,  we  shall  die  gloriously,”  he  would  say,  repeating 
his  favorite  expression. 

“ He  has  only  one  idea  : let  us  die,  let  us  die  ! ” Kuro- 
patkin once  said  to  me,  as  early  as  Plevna.  “ There  is  no 
difficulty  in  dying  ; only  one  must  be  sure  that  it  is  worth 
while  to  die  ! ” 

News  soon  came  from  the  advance  guard  of  sappers  that 
the  Turks  were  moving  toward  us.  I saw  the  color  come 
in  Skobeleffs  cheeks.  He  turned  immediately  to  the  sol- 
diers with  the  words,  “ I congratulate  you,  brothers  ; the 
Turks  are  coming  ! ” The  soldiers  answered  as  usual — ‘‘  We 
will  do  our  best.  Excellency  ! ” Dukmassoff,  one  of  the 
orderlies,  was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  the  sappers  with  two 
companies. 

The  descent  was  almost  more  difficult  than  the  ascent  ; 
in  some  places  the  horses  sank  up  to  their  necks  in  the  snow  ; 
and  most  grateful  I was  to  my  brave  steed  for  the  desperate 
efforts  with  which  he  carried  me  out  of  the  holes  without 
even  stumbling  ! In  many  places,  however,  it  was  absolutely 
impossible  to  ride  ; one  had  to  slide  down.  The  soldiers  slid 
down,  chaffing  and  joking  as  if  they  were  enjoying  a holiday 
on  the  ice-slopes  at  home.  I am  no  longer  able  to  say  how  I 
came  down  a certain  steep  place  with  my  horse  ; we  probably 
both  slid  down  on  our  haunches.  To  have  made  a good  road 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


87 


would,  of  course,  have  required  much  time  ; on  the  other 
hand,  it  was  beyond  measure  difficult  (there  is  no  such  thing 
in  the  world  as  an  impossibility)  to  get  the  cavalry  down,  and 
still  more  the  artillery. 

We  were  already  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  Balkans. 
Skobeleff  had  remained  on  one  of  the  furthermost  heights, 
and  surveying  for  a long  time  the  valley  of  the  Tunja  and  the 
Turkish  positions  which  stretched  out  before  us.  On  the  left 
lay  Mount  St.  Nicholas  with  the  Shipka.  The  positions  of 
our  troops  were  sharply  defined  in  black  lines.  There,  on 
the  rock  of  Mount  St.  Nicholas,  is  Mesherski’s  battery ; 
there  I sketched  the  guns  and  the  country  around,  bending 
my  head  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  bullets,  shells,  and  bombs  which  came  whistling 
from  the  Turkish  batteries  behind  the  mountains.  (On  the 
Shipka  the  bombs  were  christened  ‘‘  crows.”)  There  stood 
the  ruins  of  a Turkish  block-house,  from  the  window  of  which 
I wanted  to  make  a sketch  of  the  Tunja  valley  ; but  I was 
simply  driven  out  by  three  shells.  The  first  buried  itself  in 
the  wall  ; the  second  flew  on  to  the  roof  and  covered  me  with 
sand  and  all  kinds  of  things,  although  I was  sitting  on  the 
other  side  of  the  house  ; the  third  monster  struck  and  pierced 
the  roof  close  to  me  with  an  outrageous  noise,  and  threw 
such  a mass  of  earth  and  rubbish  upon  me  that  1 went  away 
without  finishing  my  picture  ; the  colors  on  my  palette  had 
received  such  a strong  mixture  of  foreign  particles  that  I was 
obliged  to  throw  them  away.  A little  farther  there  rose  from 
the  hill  the  round  central  battery,  and  in  between  were  the 
mud  huts  of  Minski’s  regiment,  with  whom  I had  spent  some 
days  as  the  guest  of  my  friend  N.  Beyond  was  a succession 
of  well-known  points : on  that  side  of  the  hill,  the  Turkish 
“ Nine  Scale  ” battery  ; further  on,  the  “ Crow’s-nest  ” and 
“ Sugarloaf  ” batteries.  Below  the  Russian  positions  came 
the  Turkish  mud  huts  and  batteries  again.  Right  down  in 
the  valley,  from  the  ruins  of  the  village  of  Shipka  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Shenovo,  stretched  fortified  hills,  which  formed  the 
centre  of  the  Turkish  position.  To  the  right  was  a thick  oak 
wood  belonging  to  the  village  of  Shenovo,  which  seemed  also 
to  be  strongly  fortified.  Still  more  to  the  right,  i,e.,  just  in 
front  of  our  path,  stretched  the  chain  of  the  Little  Balkans. 
Across  the  valley,  to  the  right,  lay  the  village  of  Imetli,  after 
which  the  path  is  named.  Finally,  quite  to  the  right,  the 


88 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Tunja  Valley  stretched  away.  Skobeleif  sometimes  gazed 
earnestly  in  that  direction,  for  from  that  quarter  it  was 
rumored  that  Turkish  troops  were  coming  to  the  relief  of  the 
Shipka. 

* 

* * 

The  troops  halted  in  the  ravine,  but  Skobeleff  as  usual 
went  on  in  front  to  reconnoiter  the  way.  He  wanted  to  go 
on  horseback,  but  the  Turks  opened  such  a hot  fire  from  a 
short  distance  that  we  were  all  obliged  to  dismount.  With 
him  were  Kuropatkin  (the  chief  of  his  staff),  Count  Keller, 
myself,  and  a few  Cossacks.  The  Turks  had  established 
themselves  on  the  rocks  nearest  the  road,  and  poured  upon 
us  a regular  shower  of  bullets.  Our  men  tried  to  dislodge 
them,  but  our  wretched  Krenke  rifles  would  not  carry  so  far. 
I halted  in  order  to  make  a sketch  of  the  scene.  Sko- 
beleff had  gone  on  a little  in  front,  when  suddenly  I saw 
Kuropatkin  coming  back  towards  me  pale  as  death,  and  sup- 
ported by  a soldier  on  each  side.  He  stopped  to  take  breath 
behind  the  same  jutting  rock  under  cover  of  which  I was 
drawing.  A ball  had  struck  him  in  the  left  shoulder,  and, 
after  grazing  the  bone,  had  passed  out  through  the  back. 
The  poor  fellow  had  quite  collapsed,  and  begged  that  we 
would  examine  his  wound  and  tell  him  whether  it  was  fatal 
or  not.  Skobeleff  also  now  rejoined  us,  and  we  all  began  to 
make  our  way  back,  Kuropatkin,  of  course,  being  carried. 

I have  often  been  under  heavy  fire,  but  never  before  had  I 
experienced  such  a murderous  storm  of  bullets.  Even  at  the 
torpedo  attack  on  the  Danube,  when  our  boat  was  fired  upon 
by  the  Turks  and  Tcherkesses  and  by  the  Turkish  ships,  does 
not  seem  to  me  to  have  been  so  heavy.  The  Turks  fired 
upon  us  at  close  range,  and  one  bullet  chased  another, 
whistling  past  our  ears,  striking  the  rocks  there,  here  falling 
or  rebounding  at  our  feet.  My  horse  and  Skobeleff’s  were 
uninjured,  but  my  Bulgarian’s  animal  was  killed,  and  over  a 
hundred  men  and  brutes  fell  besides.  I walked  at  Skobeleff’s 
left  hand,  and  I confess  that  the  clatter  of  the  firearms  (which 
sounded  something  like  the  rolling  of  drums)  and  the  whist- 
ling of  the  bullets  made  one  rather  anxious.  One  could  not 
help  thinking,  “ You  will  be  knocked  down  directly,  and  then 
you  will  learn  what  you  wanted  to  learn — the  meaning  of 
war.”  I remember,  however,  that  in  spite  of  this  I could  not 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


89 


refrain  from  watching  Skobeleff.  I wanted  to  see  wheiher  he 
would  not  involuntarily  bend  his  head,  affected  by  the  whist- 
ling bullets  ; but  no,  he  does  not  bend — not  in  the  least.  Is 
there  no  involuntary  movement  perceptible  in  the  muscles  of 
the  face  or  of  the  hands?  No:  his  face  is  quiet,  and  his 
hands  buried,  as  usual,  in  the  pockets  of  his  overcoat.  Is 
there  not  a certain  unrest  in  his  eyes,  which  I should  have 
detected  even  if  he  had  wished  to  hide  it  ? No — at  least  it 
seems  not ; a certain  passionless  look  betrays  at  most  a 
deep-buried  inward  excitement.  I still  see  him  before  me, 
striding  along  with  his  customary  careless  walk,  his  head  bent 
a little  on  one  side.  ‘‘The  devil  take  it  ! ” I thought  ; “he 
seems  to  go  slower  and  slower  : does  he  do  it  on  purpose  ?” 
There  was  really  a hellish  din  : men  and  horses  falling  on  all 
sides.  Kuropatkin,  the  brave  Kuropatkin,  calls  out  from  the 
rear  : “ Let  those  who  are  sound  run  ; we  shall  all  be  anni- 
hilated.” Count  Keller  and  one  or  two  others  rushed  ahead  ; 
I,  who  had  been  in  many  a rain  of  bullets  before,  stayed  with 
Skobeleff.  “ Well,  Vassily  Vassilievitch,”  said  Skobeleff  to 
me  presently,  when  a turn  in  the  road  at  last  gave  us  shelter 
from  the  Turkish  balls,  “now  we  know  what  running  the 
gauntlet  means.” 

I was  interested  in  learning  what  Skobeleff’s  feelings  were 
in  face  of  great  danger,  and  I asked  him  afterwards  : “Tell 
me  honestly  : have  you  really  so  accustomed  yourself  to  war 
that  you  no  longer  fear  danger  ? I confess  that  I am  always 
inwardly  a little  alarmed  when  a shell  falls  near  me,  or  a bul- 
let whistles  past  the  tip  of  my  nose.”  “ Nonsense  ! ” he 
rejoined  ; “ they  think  that  I am  brave  and  that  I am  afraid  of 
nothing  ; but  I confess  that  I am  a coward.  Whenever  I go 
into  action  I say  to  myself  that  this  time  there  will  be  an  end 
of  me.  When  a bullet  grazed  me  on  the  Green  Mountains 
and  I fell,  my  first  thought  was  : ‘ Now,  brother,  thy  play  is 
ended.’  ” It  pleased  me  to  hear  such  a confession,  for  after  it 
my  own  character  seemed  less  timid.  Not  that  I ever  set  a 
particularly  high  value  on  courage,  but  I had  an  extreme  aver- 
sion to  cowardice — a quality  which  I had  occasions  of  observ- 
ing. As  I felt  very  uncomfortable,  and  was  generally  afraid, 
each  time  that  I came  under  heavy  fire,  that  a ball  would  lay 
me  low  at  once,  I was  glad  that  Skobeleff  also  by  no  means 
faced  death  with  indifference,  but  understood  how  to  conceal 
his  feelings.  “I  have  made  it  a rule,”  he  said,  “never  to 


90 


VERESTCHAGIN* 


bend  down  under  fire.  If  you  once  permit  yourself  to  do  that, 
you  will  be  drawn  on  further  than  you  wish.” 

I am  now  of  the  opinion  that  no  man  ever  is  quite  tran- 
quil at  heart  under  hre. 

Kuropatkin  was  bandged,  and  then  carried  back  on  a litter, 
over  the  Balkans,  to  the  hospital  at  Gabrovo.  He  said  to  us  : 
“ Listen  to  my  last  advice  : make  haste  and  drive  these  Turks 
from  their  position,  at  any  cost,  or  they  will  make  terrible 
havoc  among  our  troops.” 

Skobeleff  gave  orders  to  storm  the  position  ; but  Colonel 
Paniutin,  to  whom  the  orders  were  given,  begged  leave  to 
try  first  to  dislodge  the  enemy  by  a fusilade.  He  had  a bat- 
talion armed  with  Peabody  rifles,  which  had  been  taken  from 
the  Turks  at  Plevna.  Two  companies  with  these  weapons 
poured  a perfect  shower  of  bullets  on  the  Turks,  and  after  a 
few  minutes  not  a man  of  the  enemy  was  to  be  seen — not  a 
shot  more  was  fired  by  them.  I have  never  seen  a more  strik- 
ing proof  of  what  good  weapons  can  do.  It  was  not  without 
reason  that  at  Plevna  our  soldiers,  driven  to  despair  by  the 
behavior  of  their  clumsy  converted  muskets,  whose  locks 
v/ould  not  work,  seized  them  by  the  bayonets  and  dashed  them 
to  pieces  against  stones  or  trees,  exclaiming  : “ If  you  are  of 
no  use,  you  shall  not  exist.” 

Paniutin  with  his  Peabodies  had  undoubtedly  saved  the 
lives  of  many  soldiers  ; for  an  assault  on  the  Turks,  who  were 
firmly  ensconced  behind  jutting  rocks,  could  not  have  taken 
place  without  heavy  loss.  How  many  human  lives  would 
have  been  saved  on  our  side  altogether  if  we  had  had  good 
rifles  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  or  if,  even  later,  our  troops 
had  been  armed  with  the  rifles  taken  at  Plevna  ! There  were 
some  tens  of  thousands  of  them,  v/ith  millions  of  cartridges  ! 
This  measure  had  actually  been  talked  of,  but,  as  I heard,  we 
v/ere  ashamed  to  do  it  ! One  can  only  wonder  how  anybody 
can  have  been  ashamed  to  admit  what  the  whole  army  knew, 
and  talked  of  loudly,  namely,  that  our  converted  rifles,  com- 
pared to  the  Turkish  weapons,  were  good  for  nothing.  In 
the  same  way  our  troops  crossed  the  Balkans  with  nothing 
but  Krenke  rifles  in  their  hands,  while  tens  of  thousands  of 
Peabodies  lay  in  piles  in  the  snow  all  the  time  that  I was  at 
Plevna  (nearly  a fortnight),  with  boxes  full  of  cartridges. 
Vast  numbers  of  the  latter  were  strewn  on  the  road  and  be- 
side it  for  a distance  of  several  miles,  and,  as  nobody  thought 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


91 


of  collecting  them,  they  exploded  in  quantities  as  the  bag- 
gage-wagons passed  over  them. 

At  the  halting-place  in  the  ravine  we  parted  from  Kuro- 
patkin.  The  poor  fellow,  as  I have  said,  was  conveyed  over 
the  same  terrible  roads  back  to  Gabrovo.  It  seemed  as  if  a 
tear  glistened  in  Skobeleff’s  eye,  but  he  pulled  himself  to- 
gether quickly — “ Colonel  Count  Keller,  you  will  undertake 
the  post  of  chief  of  the  staff?”  ‘'Very  good.  Excellency.” 
“ There  is  promotion  at  once,”  said  Kuropatkin  dryly,  as  he 
was  carried  away.  His  loss  was  deeply  felt  by  us  all.  To 
Skobeleff  it  was,  as  he  said,  irreparable. 

It  is  strange  how  a wound  will  often  change  a man  sud- 
denly and  completely,  sometimes  imperceptibly  to  himself 
or  others.  Kuropatkin  is  carried  in  a litter  over  these 
impracticable  roads  through  the  pass  ; he  is,  of  course,  con- 
stantly shaken — thrown  first  to  one  side,  and  then  to  the 
other  ; sometimes  even  he  is  dropped  right  into  the  snow, 
so  that  his  strong  nerves  can  scarcely  endure  it.  He  meets 
the  cavalry  on  their  march,  and  in  conversation  with  their 
colonel  he  says,  ammng  other  things,  “ It  is  a devilish  road  ; 
I do  not  know  how  you  will  get  across.”  The  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  impressed  by  these  words,  forgets  that  he  is  not 
speaking  to  the  chief  of  the  staff  but  to  a wounded  man  ; he 
halts  his  regiment  and  sends  Skobeleff  a report  of  the  insur- 
mountable difficulties  of  the  road.  But  Skobeleff  gets  angry, 
and  is  beside  himself  at  the  long  delay  of  the  cavalry.  He 
naturally  at  once  gives  orders  that  the  march  is  to  be  con- 
tinued at  any  price. 

If  a wounded  soldier  brought  from  the  battle-field  is  asked 
how  matters  stand  there  he  generally  answers  ; “ Badly,  sir. 
We  are  getting  the  worst  of  it  ; they  are  giving  us  a beating  ; 
they  are  too  many  for  us.”  He  is  worsted,  he\^  beaten,  and 
it  seems  to  Jiim  that  everything  is  lost.  It  appears  to  me  that 
it  ought  to  be  a rule  that  no  wounded  man,  from  the  private 
to  the  commander-in-chief,  should  be  allowed  to  remain  at  the 
front,  extreme  cases,  of  course,  excepted. 

'Is 

^ Ms 

Skobeleff  seemed,  as  it  were,  thrown  off  his  balance  by 
Kuropatkin’s  wound.  Taking  me  aside,  he  constantly  asked  : 
“ What  do  you  think  of  my  arrangements,  V.  V.  ? Is  it  all 
right  ? Count  Keller  is  a good  officer,  but  inexperienced.  I 


92 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


am  afraid  that  there  may  be  some  confusion.”  I tried  to 
calm  him  by  saying  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  at  present 
everything  was  going  on  as  it  ought.  Have  you  occupied 
the  heights  which  command  the  pass  ? ” ‘‘  Yes,  the  men 

have  marched  off  already.”  “ Have  you  given  them  orders 
to  entrench  themselves  ? ” Yes.”  “ Be  sure  that  they  carry 
out  the  order.”  It  still  makes  me  laugh  when  I think  how  the 
brave  orderly,  X.,  who  was  dispatched  with  this  order,  on  see- 
ing soldiers  on  the  heights,  took  them  for  Turks. 

But  Skobeleff  with  his  nervous  nature  could  not  be  easy. 

You  have  been  with  Gourko,  Vassily  Vassilievitch  : tell  me, 
on  your  honor,  was  there  greater  order  under  him  than  under 
me  ? ” “ No,  I think  not  ; but  he  was  calmer.”  “ Am  I, 

then,  so  very  impatient  ? ” “ Oh,  just  a little  ; see  how  you 

have  sent  several  orderlies  to  one  and  the  same  place  with 
the  same  orders.  ” 

I remember  another  scene  at  Plevna.  Just  after  I had  re- 
turned from  the  guards’  quarters,  in  friendly  conversation 
with  an  officer,  I was  defending  Gourko  against  various  un- 
just attacks.  Skobeleff  was  present  at  this  conversation. 
Very  jealous  of  Gourko’s  independent  position,  for  the  latter 
had  nearly  a whole  army  under  him,  he  caviled  at  my  impar- 
tiality, and  growled  sarcastically,  “ Well,  now  you  have  found 
a great  warrior.” 

Not  long  after,  Laskofski,  the  commander-in-chief ’s  aide- 
de-camp,  was  slightly  wounded. 

The  general  had  ordered  Colonel  Paniutin  to  drive  the 
Turks  out  of  the  trenches  which  they  held  below  the  road 
which  led  from  the  pass  ; in  the  evening  General  Stoletoff 
took  the  village  of  Imetli.  We  passed  the  night  in  our  ravine 
round  a fire  which  we  were  scarcely  able  to  keep  alive  with 
the  damp  twigs.  Here  were  Skobeleff,  Stoletoff,  Laskofski, 
myself,  and  Skobeleff’s  aides-de-camp  ; I do  not  remember 
whether  Count  Keller,  who  had  a great  deal  to  do  that  night, 
was  present  or  not. 

Our  gallant  correspondent,  M.  D.,  was  not  there  ; he  was 
probably  down  in  Imetli.  I do  not  know  whether  Skobeleff 
slept — perhaps  he  was  able  to  sleep  even  here  ; but  as  for 
myself,  though  fatigue  overpowered  me  from  time  to  time, 
I never  really  slept.  We  did  not  eat  anything,  but  only 
drank  a glass  of  tea  each.  Laskofski  with  his  wound  was 
particularly  badly  off,  for  although  he  was  wrapped  in  a fur 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


93 


cape  he  lay  on  the  snow  without  any  blanket.  In  the  morn- 
ing he  got  up  with  us  to  view  the  Turkish  positions  ; but  I 
obliged  him,  by  main  force,  to  go  to  Gabrovo  to  the  hospital 
tent. 

The  morning  was  wonderfully  beautiful  ; the  little  Turk- 
ish detachment  at  first  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  if  it 
would  prevent  our  descent ; but  presently  it  retired — the 
enemy,  it  seems,  was  by  no  means  distinguished  for  decision. 
Now  the  Turkish  cannon  were  pointed  at  us,  and  opened 
fire.  We  could  not  reply,  for  we  had  no  guns  with  us.  Sko- 
beleff  was  informed  that  it  was  impossible  to  bring  up  our 
artillery  over  these  roads.  I advised  him  to  order  that  one 
piece  at  least  should  be  brought  down  at  any  cost ; the  others 
might  be  left  on  the  top.  In  the  meantime  an  attempt  was 
made  to  answer  with  our  little  mountain-guns  ; and  though 
their  fire  apparently  did  little  execution,  it  doubtless  pro- 
duced a moral  effect,  by  reminding  the  enemy  of  their  pres- 
ence in  our  detachment. 

Skobeleff  begged  me  to  make  a sketch  of  the  scene,  that 
he  might  add  it  to  his  report.  As  a good  deal  was  hidden 
from  me  at  the  spot  where  we  stood,  I went  down  a little 
way  ; but  the  bullets  whistled  round  me  in  such  great  num- 
bers that  I made  my  sketch  in  a great  hurry,  merely  dashing 
in  the  outlines.  The  Turkish  detachment  was  again  drawn 
up  down  below.  I should  have  liked  to  draw  several  things, 
but  I suddenly  found  that  I had  not  my  note-book  with 
me — a book  which  was  full  of  notes  and  sketches  from  the 
time  of  Plevna  and  Gorny-Dubnia  down  to  the  last  few 
days.  Pondering  in  my  mind  where  I could  have  lost  it,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  the  last  time  I had  had  it  in  my  hands 
was  when  I saw  Kuropatkin  after  he  had  been  wounded  ; 
his  wound  had  so  upset  me  that  I had  left  the  book  lying 
in  the  snow.  I rushed  to  the  spot,  but  found  nothing ; 
which  was  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at,  as  a great  number 
of  infantry  and  cavalry  had  passed  over  the  place.  Now 
I saw  what  a number  of  men  and  horses  had  fallen  at  this 
spot  yesterday,  chiefly  during  Skobeleff’s  memorable  recon- 
noissance.  One  soldier  had  been  knocked  off  the  road, 
and  the  shell-splinter  had  gone  through  his  body  and  chest. 
My  note-book,  however,  was  not  to  be  seen  anywhere. 
“It  is  probably  crying,  with  all  its  notes,”  was  the  idea  that 
passed  through  my  mind. 


94 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


At  this  moment  I met  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  Vladimir 
regiment  whom  I knew.  “ Do  you  know,”  he  said,  ‘‘  that 
they  have  found  a note-book  belonging  to  your  late 
brother?  The  Turks  must  have  taken  it  from  the  body 
and  brought  it  here  to  Imetli.”  ‘‘  It  is  most  likely  my 
note-book,  for  which  I am  looking,”  I cried.  In  whose 
hands  did  you  see  it?”  He  named  an  officer  of  the  Don- 
Cossack  regiment.  I rode  off  at  once  to  find  him  out. 
The  regiment  had  already  descended  in  its  full  strength, 
and  was  being  drawn  up  by  Skobeleff.  At  last  I regained 
possession  of  my  precious  book.  It  turned  out  that  a soldier 
had  picked  it  up  on  the  spot  where  I had  dropped  it,  and 
had  taken  it  with  him  to  Imetli,  but  had  dropped  it  again  by 
a well  in  the  village  ; there  it  had  been  found  by  a Cossack, 
from  whom  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  officer. 

❖ ^ 

I returned  to  the  place  of  our  bivouac.  It  was  very  hot, 
and  the  snow  was  thawing.  The  soldiers  stopped  to  drink 
tea  ; I sat  down  by  one  of  them,  who  kindly  offered  me 
some — not  indeed  out  of  a cup,  but  out  of  the  lid  of  his 
cooking-pot.  I learned  from  talking  with  him  and  others  that 
the  soldiers  were  very  badly  treated  in  the  matter  of  tea,  and 
still  more  of  sugar  ; they  did,  indeed,  receive  for  a certain 
number  of  days  the  regulation  number  of  pieces  of  sugar ; 
but  these  pieces  were  so  microscopically  small  that  they 
could  just  be  seen  and  nothing  more.  Before  this,  when  I 
was  with  Gourko’s  Guards,  I had  been  astonished  at  the  lav- 
ishness with  which  the  commanders  of  the  different  divisions 
and  the  hospital  authorities  supplied  this  or  that  general,  or 
officers’  mess,  with  whole  poods  and  loaves  of  sugar — often 
as  many  as  three  and  four  loaves.  I had  intended  to  tell 
Skobeleff  about  it,  and  to  ask  him  to  turn  his  attention 
to  the  matter  ; but,  to  my  great  vexation,  I had  quite  for- 
gotten to  do  so.  On  the  whole,  under  Skobeleff,  every- 
thing which  concerned  the  care  of  the  troops  was  arranged, 
comparatively  speaking,  in  the  best  possible  manner.  He 
had  spoken  strongly  to  some  of  those  who  had  the  chief 
authority  in  these  matters,  and  they  on  their  part  had  dis- 
missed some  of  their  subordinates  for  failing  to  make  proper 
provision  ; and  if  I had  not  forgotten  at  that  time  to  tell 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


95 


him  about  it,  the  soldiers  would  probably  have  received 
more  sugar  for  the  rest  of  the  campaign. 

I found  Skobeleff  in  conversation  with  Prince  V.,  com- 
manding one  of  the  divisions  of  the  Bulgarian  militia  ; he 
brought  the  news  that  even  to  bring  one  field-piece  over 
that  road  was  impossible  ; he  said,  further,  that  the  advanced 
guard  of  Prince  Mirski’s  detachment  had  come  down  into 
the  valley  from  the  other  side  of  Shenovo,  and  that  it  could 
be  seen  from  the  pass.  We  could  perceive  in  the  distance,  on 
the  white  expanse  of  snow,  little  black  lines — regiments  which 
were  moving  towards  Shenovo,  i.  c.,  marching  against  the 
Turks  ; the  booming  of  the  guns  could  also  be  heard. 

Skobeleff  inquired  of  Prince  V.  what  troops  he  had  met 
on  the  way.  Two  regiments  of  the  infantry  division  had 
already  come  down  ; the  third  regiment  was  in  the  act  of 
descending  ; the  whole  of  the  cavalry,  with  the  exception  of 
one  Cossack  regiment,  was  still  on  the  way. 

“How  soon  do  you  think,  Vassily  Vassilievitch  ?”  asked 
Skobeleff  of  me,  “ will  Mirski’s  detachment  reach  Shenovo  ?” 
“ Within  two  hours,  or  two  hours  and  a half,  if  the  Turks  let 
them.”  “ Then  ride  to  Paniutin  and  tell  him  to  advance  to 
the  trenches.”  I galloped  off  so  quickly  that  my  poor  nag 
must  have  thought  I had  gone  mad  to  ride  at  such  speed  on 
such  roads.  While  still  a long  way  above  I shouted  down, 
“ Colonel  Paniutin,  advance  ! ” He  was  delighted  at  the 
order,  took  off  his  cap,  crossed  himself,  and  exclaimed, 
“ Thank  God  ! ” and  went  forward  so  rapidly  that  by  the 
time  I reached  him  by  the  very  winding  road  he  had  already 
passed  the  trenches.  “ The  General  gave  orders  to  advance 
only  as  far  as  the  trenches  at  present,”  I called  out  to  him  : 

“ We  have  already  passed  them.” 

Suddenly  Skobeleff  came  riding  up  to  me  at  full  gallop. 
“Vassily  Vassilievich,  you  have  told  the  troops  to  advance  ? ” 
“ Yes  : shall  I call  them  back  ? ” 

“ No,  no  ; I was  just  going  to  push  them  further  forward. 
Go  on  ; I will  give  you  the  signal  to  halt  presently.” 

A terrible  load  of  anxiety  was  taken  off  my  mind.  The 
shots  from  the  direction  of  Mirski’s  detachment  followed 
each  other  more  and  more  quickly  ; the  hurrahs  of  our  men 
could  be  heard  in  the  distance,  mingled  with  the  Turkish 
cries  of  Allah  ! The  battle  had  evidently  begun,  and  we  had 
to  hasten  to  give  assistance. 


96 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Skobeleff  was  enraged  that  so  few  troops  had  yet  come 
down.  In  spite  of  his  dispatching  one  orderly  after  another 
to  bid  them  hasten,  the  cavalry  came  down  very  slowly,  and 
barred  the  way  to  part  of  the  infantry.  The  nature  of  the 
road,  however,  made  it  impossible  to  blame  them. 

As  part  of  the  detachment  was  to  be  kept  in  reserve.  Sko- 
beleff had  as  yet  but  a ridiculously  small  force  (in  fact,  no 
more  than  one  regiment  of  infantry)  available  for  an  attack. 
Anxious,  therefore,  as  he  was  to  render  help,  he  was  obliged 
to  wait.  In  order,  however,  to  divert  the  enemy  by  a demon- 
stration, he  put  his  men  in  position,  and  pushed  forward  the 
mountain  artillery,  whose  fire  fell  just  short  of  the  mark. 
The  back  wheels  were  sunk  a little  into  the  ground,  and  the 
shot  now  fell  directly  down  upon  the  enemy’s  batteries.  I con- 
fess that  I persuaded  Paniutm  to  let  our  single  regiment  salute 
this  success  with  two  vigorous  cheers.  Three  Turkish  guns 
replied  to  our  fire  : the  enemy  was  evidently  preparing  for 
the  attack  expected  from  our  side,  and  a chain  of  mounted 
Tcherkesses  was  pushed  forward  along  the  whole  village. 

We  were  now  quite  close  to  Shenovo,  and  thus  naturally 
diverted  half  of  the  enemy’s  force,  and  proportionately  dimin- 
ished his  power  of  resisting  the  other  detachment.  Skobe- 
leff resolved  to  assemble  all  his  forces  before  delivering  a 
decisive  blow  the  next  day.  1 his  resolution  seemed  not  to 
please  the  detachment.  When  Skobeleff  told  Paniutin  that 
he  would  attack  the  Turks  the  next  day,  the  latter  answered, 
“Alexey  Nicholaievitch  (Kuropatkin)  is  no  longer  here.  Your 
Excellency  ; it  is  not  likely  that  any  good  will  come  of  it.” 
“ That  does  not  sound  very  complimentary,”  said  Skobeleff. 
“ Have  patience  ; you  will  find  another  opportunity.”  For 
myself,  I was  convinced  that  this  was  the  most  sensible  plan. 

It  was  already  growing  dark.  The  General  had  given 
orders  that  at  nightfall  the  troops  should  retire  ; and  I 
advised  that  fires  should  be  lighted  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  ground  they  had  occupied,  in  order  to  make  the  'Furks 
uneasy  by  the  apparent  proximity  of  our  advanced  guard. 

The  other  detachment  also  kept  perfectly  quiet.  We  learnt 
afterwards  that  there  had  been  a fierce  engagement  in  the 
course  of  the  day.  Skobeleff  felt  that  it  must  be  so,  and,  as 
I was  with  him  the  whole  time,  I saw  what  it  cost  his  nervous 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


97 


excitable  nature  to  restrain  himself  on  that  day  and  not  to 
rush  into  the  fray.  We  were  often  alone  ; he  constantly  drew 
me  aside,  animated  by  the  desire  to  tell  me  his  feelings 
frankly.  “ What  do  you  think  ? Was  it  right  to  postpone 
the  assault  to-day  ? I know  they  will  blame  me  for  it  ; they 
will  say  that  I purposely  did  not  hasten  to  give  help.  Very 
well  ; I will  retire  from  the  service  : as  soon  as  the  war  is 
over  I will  immediately  retire.” 

‘‘  Why  do  you  talk  of  retiring  ? ” I said,  trying  to  calm  him. 
“You  have  done  what  you  had  to  do — what  you  were  able  to 
do.  You  have  diverted  part  of  the  enemy’s  forces  ; to  risk 
an  assault  with  only  one  regementwas  not  to  be  thought  of.” 
Stoletoff  came  up,  and  concurred  in  my  opinion  that  it  would 
have  been  extremely  rash  to  have  attacked  such  a strong  posi- 
tion with  the  force  available.  Skobeleff  seemed  to  be  some- 
what reassured  ; but  his  military  spirit  whispered  continually 
to  him  that  when  fighting  was  going  on,  one  ought  to  rush 
into  it.  He  recurred  several  times  to  the  same  topic,  and 
said,  “ that  he  could  not,  and  ought  not  to  have  acted  other- 
wise,” and  “ that  he  should  throw  up  his  commission  if  they 
blamed  him  for  it,”  &c.  I advised  him  to  send  an  aide-de- 
camp  at  once  to  Radetski  to  report  what  had  been  done,  and 
what  remained  to  be  done  to-morrow,  and  to  ask  for  his  in- 
structions, if  they  were  needed.  “ But  it  is  impossible  to 
ride  off  now  to  Radetski  and  to  be  back  by  the  morning.” 
“ It  is  quite  possible  : send  Dukmassoff — he  is  a gallant  offi- 
cer ; tell  him  that  he  must  be  back  to-morrow  early.  If  he 
accomplishes  his  mission,  give  him  a decoration  ; if  he  does 
not  put  him  under  arrest.” 

I went  in  quest  of  Dukmassoff,  and  told  him  he  was  to 
prepare  at  once  for  a ride  over  the  mountains  ; and  the  brave 
Rllow,  without  the  slightest  sign  of  reluctance,  went  into  his 
tent  to  get  ready.  In  the  course  of  twelve  hours  to  ride 
twice  over  the  Balkans,  and,  moreover,  to  climb  up  to  Radet- 
ski’s  position,  was,  to  say  the  truth,  almost  impossible  ; but 
Dukmassoff  accomplished  it  in  sixteen  hours. 

Skobeleff  made  the  rounds  of  his  troops,  and  ordered 
them  to  entrench  themselves  well,  as  if  a serious  attack  were 
in  prospect. 

We  returned  to  Imetli  to  take  up  our  quarters  for  the 
night.  Bivouac  fires  were  burning  brightly  along  the  whole 
line  of  our  former  position  in  front  of  the  enemy. 


7 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


The  village  furnished  plenty  of  hay,  but  was  badly  off  for 
dwelling-houses  ; all  the  houses  had  been  knocked  to  pieces 
and  destroyed.  Unfortunately  for  me,  the  mounted  Bulga- 
rian who  acted  as  my  attendant,  and  whose  horse  had  been 
killed,  getting  tired,  I suppose,  of  dragging  my  things  after 
me,  had  either  sold  them  cr  thrown  them  away.  The  former 
is  the  more  likely,  as  I never  saw  either  him,  or  my  revolver, 
or  my  field  glass,  or  my  other  belongings.  I most  regretted 
the  revolver,  as  it  was  one  of  the  few  things  that  I had  been 
able  to  secure  out  of  the  effects  of  my  brother,  who  had  been 
killed  at  Plevna. 

After  I had  wandered  about  a little  on  the  heights  between 
the  fires,  in  search  of  my  Bulgarian,  I went  tired  and  hungry, 
to  Skobeleff’s  cottage.  He  was  not  there.  I strolled  about 
for  a time,  and  then  went  again  to  him.  Still  he  was  not 
there.  I will  wait  for  him,  at  any  rate,”  thought  I,  ‘‘for 
there  is  nothing  to  eat  anywhere  else.”  “ He  rnust  soon 
come,”  said  the  Cossack  ; “ his  supper  is  waiting  for 
him.” 

At  last  I hear  Skobeleff’s  step  by  the  fence.  In  the  dark- 
ness he  knocked  against  the  Cossack,  and  being  out  of  tem- 
per (owing,  I suppose,  to  the  occurrences  of  the  day),  gave 
him  a violent  blow,  that  felled  him  to  the  ground.  “ Why 
do  you  come  running  between  my  legs,  you  clumsy  brute  ? 
What  ! ” as  his  eyes  fell  on  me,  “ is  there  somebody  else  there  ? 
Oh,  it  is  you,  Vassily  Vassilievitch  ! Well,  forgive  me,  old 
fellow  : embrace  me,  and  don’t  be  angry.  Come,  V.  V.,  let 
us  have  a chat  over  our  supper.  And  you  boy,”  to  the  Cos- 
sack, ‘‘bring  us  a bottle  of  champagne.” 

Skobeleff  was  no  tippler,  and  I never  saw  him  the  worse 
for  drink,  but  he  was  very  fond  of  champagne.  In  Plevna  he 
assured  us,  as  I well  remember,  that  the  bottles  we  were  then 
drinking  were  the  last,  and  that  he  would  not  drag  a single  bot- 
tle with  him  over  the  mountains  ; but  this  was  evidently  only 
a stratagem  of  war,  for  now  there  was  another  bottle  after  all 
and  to-morrow  there  will  probably  be  yet  another  if  we  give 
the  Turks  a good  beating.  My  comrade,  however,  was  a 
little  out  of  humor  : on  the  one  hand,  because  he  was  haunted 
by  the  thought  that  he  had  not  checked  the  Turks,  and  that 
he  would  be  accused  of  purposely  causing  Mirski  to  fail  ; and, 
on  the  other  hand,  apparantly,  because  I had  been  an  invol- 
untary spectator  of  his  assault  upon  the  Cossack.  Our  talk 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


99 


turned  again  on  the  folly  of  attacking  with  an  insufficient 
force,  &c. 

I did  not  know  where  I should  pass  the  night,  when  by 
accident  I came  upon  a cottage  which  was  occupied  by  Sko- 
beleff’s  orderlies.  I found  a bright  fire  on  the  hearth,  before 
which  we  laid  ourselves  down,  without  any  ceremony,  and 
slept  soundly.  They  were  young  fellows,  by  no  means  fash- 
ionable, and  not  to  be  compared,  as  far  as  appearance  went, 
with  the  dandies  of  Gourko’s  staff ; but,  to  make  up  for  that, 
they  were  brave  and  gallant  men,  who  had  stood  many  a 
shower  of  bullets. 

The  next  morning,  before  daybreak,  I went  to  the  ad- 
vanced guard.  The  weather  was  misty.  The  bivouac  fires 
began  to  die  out.  Skobeleff  was  in  no  hurry  to  begin  the 
struggle  ; he  was  perhaps  waiting  for  Dukmassoff  and 
Radetski’s  orders.  It  was  already  bright  daylight  wTen  I 
ascended  one  of  the  neighboring  heights  with  Charanoff,  who 
had  been  told  off  to  observe  the  enemy’s  movements  ; every 
quarter  of  an  hour  I wrote  reports  for  him  to  Skobeleff  on 
what  we  saw  in  front  of  us.  The  mist  began  to  clear,  but  the 
mountains  were  still  half-shrouded,  and  the  Shipka  was  not 
visible  at  all.  Now,  as  also  during  the  whole  night,  single 
shots,  at  longer  or  shorter  intervals,  were  heard  from  the 
valley  and  from  the  Shipka.  As  on  the  previous  day,  the 
Tcherkesses  formed  a chain  round  the  village  ; the  guns  were 
silent.  Both  sides  were  evidently  in  a state  of  expectation, 
and  preparing  for  the  coming  battle. 

Presently,  on  the  farther  side  of  Shenovo,  where  Mirski 
lay,  the  firing  began  to  grow  sharper.  On  our  side  every- 
thing was  quiet.  We  had  a good  laugh  with  Charanoff  over 
our  fears  of  being  cut  off  by  the  Tcherkesses.  There  were 
three  or  four  of  us.  We  had  ventured  out  a long  way  in 
front  ; the  mist  had  not  quite  cleared  away,  wdien  we  saw  ten 
or  twelve  dark  bodies,  who  approached  us  from  the  Shenovo 
side,  stood  still,  looked  round,  and  then  strode  off  in  a direc- 
tion which  would  soon  place  them  between  us  and  our 
friends.  We  were  already  preparing  to  retreat,  in  order  not 
to  be  cut  off  from  the  main  body,  when  the  mist  lifted  and 
we  saw — some  large  dogs,  who  were  seeking  the  remains  of 
the  soldiers’  meals. 

It  was  as  well  that  I had  refrained  from  reporting  to  Sko- 
beleff that  a party  of  mounted  Tcherkesses,  &c.  ; he  would 


100 


VERESTCHAGTN. 


have  had  a fine  laugh  at  our  expense.  His  laugh  was  loud 
and  clear,  with  a curious  gutteral  sound  — Kha  ! kha ! 
kha  ! ” 

On  the  further  side  the  firing  steadily  increased.  It  was 
evident  that  another  fierce  struggle  was  beginning  there  ; 
and  I had  scarcely  had  time  to  write  to  the  General  and  sug- 
gest reconnoitering  in  the  direction  of  Shenovo,  when  his 
orderly  appeared  in  the  distance.  He  sent  us  orders  to 
retire,  and  at  once  began  the  battle. 

Of  our  heavy  field-pieces  not  a single  one  had  arrived  ; 
the  Bulgarian  militia  put  forth  all  their  strength,  but  yet 
could  not  accomplish  anything,  though  I think  that,  under 
Gourko,  one  or  two  guns  would  nevertheless  have  been 
brought  up  ; he  would  have  given  orders  to  pull  them  up  by 
the  teeth.  We  had  to  confine  ourselves  again  to  our  moun- 
tain guns.  On  the  other  hand,  the  whole  of  the  cavalry 
had  come  down — /.  e.  a regiment  of  Moscow  dragoons,  a 
regiment  of  St.  Petersburg  Uhlans,  and  two  regiments  of 
Don  Cossacks.  Of  infantry  there  had  come  down  one  rifle 
brigade,  the  Bulgarian  militia,  and  the  Uglitch,  Kasan, 
Susdal,  and  Vladimir  regiments  of  the  i6th  division.  The 
two  last-named  regiments  had  suffered  great  losses  at  Plevna, 
and  remained  this  time  in  the  reserve. 

The  rifle  brigade  and  the  Bulgarian  militia  advanced  first, 
in  order  to  fall  on  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy.  A terrible 
fusilade  began. 

Dukmassoff  also  appeared  soon  after  with  a cheery  smile 
but  a badly  damaged  face.  He  had  had  a fall  on  the  way 
and  had  knocked  his  face  against  a tree.  “ Radetski  approves 
of  all  that  I have  done,”  said  Skobeleff  to  me  with  an  air  of 
satisfaction,  showing  me  a letter  he  had  just  received. 

Here  too  came  an  orderly  from  General  Mirski  with  the 
news  that  he  had  fought  a severe  battle,  and  that  he  had 
taken  the  village  of  Shipka,  but  that  no  one  was  supporting 
him.  I was  particularly  astonished  at  the  news  of  the  taking 
of  the  village  of  Shipka,  which  was  evidently  added  to 
improve  the  story  ; for  one  of  Skobeleffs  orderlies  had  been 
there  that  very  morning  with  a sotnia  of  Cossacks,  and  had 
not  found  a soul.  I drew  Skobeleffs  attention  to  this  point. 
“Ah,  Vassily  Vassilievitch,”  said  he,  “that  is  it,  of  course  ; 
but,  nevertheless,  I am  bound  to  accept  the  statement  when 
I have  it  in  writing  from  an  adjutant-general  of  H.  M.  the 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


lOI 


Czar.”  The  cavalry  were  commissioned  to  turn  the  enemy’s 
position,  and  cut  off  its  communication  with  Kasanlyk. 

❖ ‘ ❖ 

From  the  left  flank,  which  had  opened  the  attack,  a num- 
ber of  wounded  were  moving  to  the  rear.  Soon,  however,  it 
was  evident  that  the  others  also  were  beginning  to  retire.  I 
could  not  believe  my  eyes.  Hundreds  of  soldiers  are  forced 
back  ! they  turn,  they  flee — the  whole  detachment  begins  to 
waver— it  is  no  longer  possible  to  doubt  it  ; they  are 
repulsed  ! ‘‘Michael  Dmitrievitch,”  said  I to  Skobeleff,  “our 
men  are  utterly  routed.”  “That  does  sometimes  happen,” 
he  answered  with  a strangely  playful  smile.  He  at  once 
called  Paniutin  with  the  Uglitch  regiment.  “Advance,  in 
God’s  name  ! ” he  commanded.  Paniutin  answered,  “ Very 
good,  sir,”  took  off  his  cap,  crossed  himself  (the  whole  regi- 
ment following  his  example),  and  did  not  wait  to  have  the 
order  repeated.  “ His  fingers  have  been  itching  for  a long 
time,”  said  Skobeleff  tome  ; “and  if  Paniutin  is  beaten  back, 
I will  lead  the  men  into  action  myself.” 

I have  taken  part  in  many  battles,  but  I must  confess  that 
I had  never  seen  a fight  carried  on  with  such  precision. 
“ Jews  to  the  front  ! ” commanded  Skobeleff  (which  meant  : 
“ Music  here  ! ” because  almost  all  the  musicians  were  of  the 
Jewish  race).  To  the  sound  of  the  music,  with  colors  flying, 
and  with  a step  as  regular  as  on  the  parade  ground,  one  bat- 
talion of  the  Uglitch  regiment  followed  another,  cheerfully 
responding  to  Skobeleff ’s  greeting.  This  Valley  of  Roses 
might  have  been  taken  for  the  Field  of  Mars  at  St.  Peters- 
burg on  a parade  day.  To  the  sound  of  the  marches  pla}"ed 
by  the  regimental  band,  the  troops  advanced  to  the  attack, 
while  the  reserves  played  the  national  hymn  and  an  evening 
prayer  resembling  a chorale,  just  as  if  it  had  been  some  mili- 
tary festival  ! I remember  that  one  battalion  of  the  Vladi- 
mir regiment  was  marching  with  a furled  banner.  I rode 
up  to  the  aide-de-camp  and  begged  him,  in  the  General’s 
name,  to  unfurl  it. 

Skobeleff  afterwards  said  that  he  had  been  “ clever”  that 
day  because  he  had  kept  out  of  the  fire  ; but  that  was  one  of 
his  peculiar  expressions,  for,  as  a matter  of  fact,  shells  and 
bullets  fell  in  showers  upon  us.  The  Turks  directed  their 
projectiles  chiefly  at  the  reserves  and  at  our  group.  About 


102 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


five  shells  fell  so  close  to  Skobeleff  that  he  could  not  refrain 
from  turning  impatiently  upon  the  Cossacks  who  had  col- 
lected together  near  us  with,  “ Why  the  devil  don’t  you  sepa- 
rate ? You  will  all  be  killed  ! ” 

The  indefatigable  Count  Keller  had  ridden  off  to  deliver 
some  order  or  other,  and  I in  consequence  had  to  write  down 
some  of  Skobeleff’s  orders.  I remember  that  he  directed  me 
to  alter  the  concluding  sentence  of  an  order  addressed  to  the 
commander  of  the  cavalry — a sentence  in  which  I instructed 
him  to  advance  boldly.  “ He  is  an  old  general  ; I cannot  WTite 
to  him  like  that,”  said  Skobeleff.  I had  been  moved  to  add 
that  sentence  by  the  fact  that  we  had  seen  how  one  of  the 
cavalry  regiments,  in  the  midst  of  which  a shell  fell,  turned 
aside  and  moved  on  at  a slower  pace.  I further  remember 
that  in  an  order  to  General  Mirski  I forgot  to  put  down  the 
date  and  hour,  at  which  my  friend  wa^  very  angry.  Fortu- 
nately Count  Keller  came  up  at  this  moment.  “ Why  are 
you  never  here  when  you  are  wanted  ! ” cried  Skobeleff. 
“Write  quick.”  I was  glad  to  have  gotten  off  so  easily,  and 
began  to  draw  energetically,  which  was  much  more  to  my 
taste  than  writing. 

When  Skobeleff  sent  X.  to  Paniutin  with  the  order  to 
begin  the  assault,  I,  who  was  standing  by  Skobeleff,  added, 
“ And  tell  him  to  draw  the  reserves  closer  to  him.”  Skobe- 
leff turned  upon  me  again.  “ I cannot  possibly  teach  him 
his  business  just  when  he  is  going  into  action,”  he  said.  But 
I thought  to  myself,  Why  not  ? Later,  about  a year  after- 
wards, I met  Captain  K.  of  the  rifles,  and  asked  him  why 
they  had  been  driven  back.  He  answered  me  exactly  in  the 
following  words  : “ Because  the  reserves  were  too  far  off.  The 
soldiers  went  into  action  well,  but  met  with  strong  resistance, 
and,  looking  round,  missed  their  supports  and  began  to 
waver.” 

It  is  worth  noticing  that  this  mistake  is  often  repeated, 
and  can  naturally  only  be  attributed  to  the  reluctance  of 
commanders  to  expose  their  reserves  to  a heavy  fire.  On 
the  part  of  Skobeleff,  who,  when  the  state  of  affairs  needed 
it,  never  spared  his  men,  it  was  simply  inadvertence. 

Paniutin  went  boldly  at  the  enemy  : he  approached  the 
Turkish  trenches  in  close  order,  without  firing,  merely  from 
time  to  time  ordering  his  men  to  lie  down.  “Just  look  at 
Paniutin  ! ” I said  to  Skobeleff  : “ I thought  he  was  better 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


103 


at  talking  than  acting,  and  now  he  proves  himself  a regular 
hero.” 

“ Let  me  tell  you,”  returned  Skobeleff,  taking  his  field- 
glass  for  a moment  from  his  eyes,  “ that  Paniutin  is  a tem- 
pestuous soul.” 

I can  still  distinctly  see  Skobeleff  as  he  stood  that  day  in 
the  snow,  in  his  open  overcoat,  following  the  course  of  the 
battle  attentively  with  his  field-glass.  From  time  to  time, 
without  changing  his  position,  he  gives  this  or  that  order,  or, 
if  the  shot  whistle  too  sharply  round  him,  sends  the  Cossacks 
with  their  horses  to  the  devil  ; his  general’s  guidon  attracts 
the  particular  attention  of  the  enemy,  and  the  guidon  also  is 
sent  to  the  devil. 

I made  a little  sketch  of  the  general  position  of  the  troops 
engaged  on  either  side,  and  remember  that  while  1 was  draw- 
ing a fragment  of  a shell  rolled  close  up  to  the  chair  on 
which  I sat. 

In  front  of  us,  like  a blue  line,  stretched  the  oaks  of  the 
village  of  Shenovo,  from  which  the  smoke  of  the  cannon  and 
musketry  fire  rose  continually.  On  the  Oft  heavy  white 
clouds  concealed  the  Shipka  ; but  the  booming  of  guns  and 
the  crackling  of  muskets  were  to  be  heard  from  that  quarter 
also.  It  was  evident  that  Radetski  too  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  attack. 

The  Kasan  regiment  hastened  to  the  support  of  the 
Uglitch  ; they  had  to  attack  the  Turks  in  the  center,  to  the 
left  of  Paniutin.  “ Go  on,  brothers,  in  God’s  name,  and  make 
no  prisoners  ! ” called  Skobeleff  to  them.  “ We’ll  do  our 
best.  Your  Excellency,”  was  the  reply. 

“Make  no  prisoners”  meant,  in  plain  language,  “Cut 
everybody  down  without  mercy.”  I reminded  Skobeleff  of 
those  words  the  next  day.  “ Did  I really  say  that  ? ” he 
asked.  The  Uglitch  and  Kasan  regiments  drove  the  Turks 
completely  from  their  positions.  It  is  common  enough,  in  a 
picture  of  a battle,  to  see  the  commanding  officer  lead  a regi- 
ment with  the  colors  in  his  hand  : this  Paniutin  actually  did, 
and  it  was  m.ainly  through  his  efforts  that  the  battle  was  ulti- 
mately decided  in  our  favor. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  same  Uglitch  regiment, 
on  the  day  of  the  assault — on  August  30 — during  the  third 
attack  on  Plevna,  established  itself  so  firmly  in  the  vineyards 
that  it  could  not  be  induced  to  leave  them.  To  such  a 


104 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


degree  does  the  bravery  of  the  soldiers  depend  on  the  cour- 
age of  their  leaders. 

The  battle  was  evidently  won.  Skobeleff  now  seemed 
less  nervous  ; he  laughed  and  joked.  When  General  Stole- 
toff  came  up  to  him,  I whispered  to  Skobeleff  that  he  ought 
now  to  make  friends  with  him  ; and  although  the  elderly 
Stoletoff  at  first  laughingly  refused  to  conclude  a treaty  of 
peace,  they  nevertheless  finally  embraced  each  other.  Stole- 
toff had  come  up  to  Skobeleff  while  the  fusilade  was  still 
going  on,  and  had  said  something  to  him,  upon  which  the 
latter  had  answered  impatiently  : Leave  me  alone  ! ” “ What 

reason  had  you  for  being  so  brusque  to  him  ? ” I asked  Sko- 
beleff afterwards.  “ He  was  not  in  his  right  place,”  answered 
Skobeleff  ; “ when  his  troops  are  attacking,  his  place  is  with 
them  and  not  with  me.  I do  not  like  that  kind  of  thing.” 
On  that  day,  however,  my  friend  N.  D.  fared  still  worse.  On 
his  making  some  remark,  Skobeleff  said  to  him,  “ Vassily 
Ivanovitch,  please  go  away.”  N,  D.  stepped  back  a little. 
‘‘  No — quite  away,  quite.” 

About  two  o'clock  a Turkish  officer  who  had  been  taken 
prisoner  was  brought  in.  He  told  us  that  all  was  lost  on 
their  side — that  their  whole  force  was  in  flight.  This  officer 
rode  for  several  days  afterwards  in  Skobeleff’s  suite,  evi- 
dently much  pleased  at  liis  treatment. 

About  three  o’clock  a Cossack  galloped  up  to  Skobeleff 
— “Your  Excellency,  the  Turks  have  hoisted  the  white 
flag.”  Skobeleff  and  all  of  us  mounted  our  horses  and  rode 
at  full  speed  towards  Shenovo.  The  nearer  we  got  to  the 
village  the  greater  was  the  number  of  the  dead  we  saw  ; the 
Turkish  batteries  were  full  of  dead.  The  Turks  had  evi- 
dently remained  to  the  last  moment  at  their  posts,  and  our 
soldiers  had  carried  out  Skobeleff’s  order  to  the  letter— none 
had  escaped  with  their  lives.  The  Turkish  trenches  were 
likewise  filled  with  bodies.  It  was  strange  that  so  very  many 
dead  were  found  in  the  trenches.  The  Turks  had  evidently 
been  too  eager,  and  had  awaited  our  men  in  front  of  their 
fortifications. 

After  we  had  ridden  through  a portion  of  Shenovo  we 
turned  to  the  left  towards  the  hills.  N.  D.  was  very  nearly 
caught  on  a tree  and  thrown  out  of  his  saddle  ; but  he  was 
in  the  best  of  spirits  in  spite  of  it.  A talented  author,  in 
war  he  was  an  indefatigable  reporter,  and  contrived  to  be 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


105 


present  at  everything  that  was  going  on.  Though  he  was 
rather  stout  and  solid  in  person,  he  rode  quite  a small  moun- 
tain horse,  which,  according  to  him,  possessed  some  peculiar 
qualities,  one  of  them,  and  certainly  not  the  least  in  import- 
ance, being  the  ability  to  carry  a man  of  his  figure. 

IToops  of  prisoners  met  us.  Skobeleff  had  been  informed 
that  the  cavalry  had  taken  prisoners  six  thousand  Turks, 
who  were  retiring  towards  Kasanlyk.  We  also  met  troops  of 
Russian  soldiers,  whose  commander  received  a sharp  reproof 
for  their  irregular  marching. 

We  rode  about  looking  for  the  Turkish  commander-in- 
chief with  the  white  flag.  On  the  way  we  saw  Paniutin,  who 
had  shouted  himself  quite  hoarse,  but  nevertheless  was  mak- 
ing even  more  noise  than  usual  ; in  fact  every  one,  from  the 
highest  rank  to  the  lowest,  was  hoarse  that  day  as  if  by  orders. 

All  about  us  lay  vast  numbers  of  dead  bodies  and  aban- 
doned weapons.  1 was  riding  by  Skobeleff,  and  I said  to 
him  : Do  you  remember  how  you  doubted  whether  you 

were  doing  right  in  waiting  to  collect  your  forces  ? Now 
you  see  what  you  have  accomplished  — what  a brilliant  victory 
you  have  won.  And  yet,  for  all  that,  I must  say  that  you 
were  rather  nervous.”  “Do  you  think  so?”  “ Certainl}q 
although  less  than  usual.” 

At  last  a colonel  of  rifles  came  with  the  sword  of  the 
Turkish  commander-in-chief.  “Where  is  he  himself?” 
“ There,  by  that  large  mound.”  This  mound  was  occupied 
from  top  to  bottom  by  Turkish  soldiers,  who  sat  there  in  a 
state  of  apathy  after  throwing  away  their  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion. Down  below  there  was  a little  wooden  barrack,  at  the 
door  of  which  stood,  with  a large  suite,  a Turkish  general, 
not  yet  old,  his  brown  hair  tinged  with  gray  and  a serious 
expression  of  countenance.  It  was  the  Turkish  commander- 
in-chief,  Vessel  Pasha.  Skobeleff  ordered  them  to  come  up  to 
him.  With  a gloomy  countenance  Vessel  Pasha  approached, 
followed  by  other  pashas  and  forty  or  fifty  officers  of  different 
ranks.  Skobeleff  tried  to  comfort  him  with  a few  kindly  words 
about  the  bravery  of  his  soldiers  ; but  he  listened  with  a sad 
face,  and  answered  not  a word.  The  whole  suite  looked  on 
with  equal  dejection. 

“ Vassily  Vasselievitch,  ride  quickly  to  General  Tomilof- 
ski,”  said  Skobeleff  to  me  in  a low  voice,  “ and  tell  him  to 
disarm  the  prisoners  at  once,  without  delay.  I have  intelli- 


io6 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


gence  that  Suleiman  Pasha  is  hastening  up  from  Philippopo- 
lis,  and  I am  afraid  lest  the  Turks,  on  the  first  news  of  it, 
might  snatch  up  their  arms  again.”  1 conveyed  the  order, 
with  the  explanation  given  by  Skobeleff,  and  on  my  way 
back  hastened  to  the  top  of  the  great  mound  to  take  the 
white  flag  as  a remembrance  ; it  was  a large  piece  of  striped 
cotton-silk.  I gave  it  to  the  Cossack  X.  to  take  care  of,  but 
he  lost  it.  The  Turks  looked  on  with  some  apprehension 
while  I took  away  the  white  flag  : they  probably  thought 
that  when  it  was  gone  they  would  all  be  cut  down. 

“ Will  the  Shipka  surrender  ! ” Skobeleff  asked  of  Vessel 
Pasha.  ‘‘I  do  not  know.  ” ‘‘What!  You  do  not  know  ? — you, 
who  are  the  commander-in-chief  ? ” “ Yes,  I am  commander- 

in-chief,  but  I do  not  know  whether  they  will  obey  my  orders.” 
“ If  that  is  the  case,  the  Shipka  shall  be  attacked  at  once,” 
cried  Skobeleff,  and  ordered  the  Susdal  and  Vladimir  regi- 
ments to  move  forward  in  the  direction  of  the  high  road 
which  led  to  the  pass. 

Hereupon  there  was  some  stir  among  the  Turkish  offi- 
cers ; a few  words  were  exchanged  in  Turkish,  and  then 
Vessel  Pasha  turned  to  Skobeleff,  saying  : “ Wait,  wait  ; I 
will  send  the  chief  of  my  staff  over  there.”  A Turkish 
colonel  was  sent  off  on  this  mission  accompanied  by  General 
Stoletoff  from  our  side.  Meantime,  however,  the  brave 
Charanoff  had  already  undertaken  to  inform  General  Radet- 
ski  of  the  results  of  the  battle. 

Skobeleff  was  seriously  afraid  that  the  Turkish  com- 
mander would  perhaps  offer  resistance,  especially  as  Bulgari- 
ans were  bringing  intelligence  from  all  sides  of  a movement 
of  Suleiman  Pasha  in  this  direction  ; which  proved  later  to 
be  correct,  though  not  exactly  in  the  way  we  imagined. 
Suleiman  did,  in  fact,  move  from  Philippopolis  ; but  in  so 
doing  he  was  not  taking  the  offensive,  but  was  retreating 
before  Gourko’s  detachment. 

To  say  the  truth,  we  scarcely  regarded  Skobeleff ’s  threat  to 
attack  the  Shipka  as  serious,  nor,  probably,  did  Skobeleff  him- 
self. The  Turks  must  have  been  very  much  depressed  if  they 
really  believed  it.  Our  reserve  brigade,  consisting  of  two 
regiments,  was  not  a force  sufficient  to  inspire  much  respect 
in  an  attack  on  such  fortified  and  snow-covered  points,  at  a 
height  of  6,000  feet. 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


107 


SHIPKA. 


io8 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Skobeleff  had  sent  out  his  orderlies  on  various  missions, 
and  some  of  them  remained  rather  a long  time  away,  so  that 
I again  had  to  convey  several  of  his  orders.  When  we  rode 
towards  the  hills,  Vessel  Pasha  began  to  move  also,  with  his 
large  suite,  behind  our  brigade  and  behind  us.  At  this  mo- 
ment there  were  with  Skobeleff  only  a Cossack  with  the  gen- 
eral’s standard,  N.  D.,  and  my  insignificant  self  ; and  the 
Turkish  officers  were  not  a little  puzzled  at  seeing  the  Rus- 
sian hero,  before  whom  they  had  laid  down  their  arms,  with 
such  a miserable  suite.  They  could  scarcely  believe  that  this 
was  really  the  “ famous  white  general  ; ” at  least  the  chief  of 
the  staff  questioned  me  about  Skobeleff’s  rank  and  distinc- 
tions. It  seemed  to  astonish  him  very  much  that  Skobeleff 
was  only  lieutenant-general,  and  not  full  general.  I remem- 
ber that  this  officer,  when  I delivered  some  order  of  Skobe- 
leff’s to  him,  looked  at  my  half-military,  half-civil  costume, 
and  turned  to  me  with  the  words,  “ May  I ask  who  you 
are?”  ‘‘ I am  the  General’s  secretary,”  I replied.  I was 
then  wearing  a large  Cossack  cap,  a short  Roumanian  fur 
coat  with  long  hair  ; my  feet  were  encased  in  huge  boots  ; a 
sword  hung  over  my  shoulder.  The  officer’s  Cross  of  the 
Order  of  St.  George  was  the  only  thing  which  a little 
counterbalanced  the  excessive  picturesqueness  of  this  cos- 
tume. 

While  we  awaited  the  answer  of  the  commander  of  the 
Shipka  the  troops  moved  on  to  the  hills  to  the  sound  of  music, 
and  were  there  drawn  up.  Skobeleff  rode  through  the  ranks, 
and  spoke  to  the  soldiers  in  the  tone  of  a friend  rather  than 
of  a commanding  officer.  “ Now,  you  see,  brothers,  I always 
told  you  to  obey  your  superiors.  To-day  you  carried  out 
your  orders  excellently,  and  have  done  your  work  well  ; let 
it  be  so  in  the  future.” 

The  Shipka  surrendered,  but  the  answer  arrived  late,  and 
we  rode  away  without  waiting  for  it.  On  the  way  a comical 
sight  presented  itself.  Dukmassoff,  who  had  disappeared 
without  leaving  any  traces  some  time  before,  was  leading  two 
large  gray  Turkish  horses  belonging  to  the  artillery  across  the 
road.  When  he  caught  sight  of  Skobeleff  he  was  embarrassed, 
and  pulled  the  horses  with  all  his  might ; but  they,  as  if  to 
spite  him,  did  not  obey.  Skobeleff  turned  his  eyes  aside. 
We  laughed. 

The.  General  took  possession  of  Vessel  Pasha’s  little 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS.  I09 

wooden  hut.  I rode  to  Imetli  for  my  night’s  lodging,  with  a 
commission  from  him  to  take  a greeting  to  the  wounded 
commander  of  the  first  brigade  of  his  division,  General  X. 
The  command  of  the  brigade  had  been  taken  temporarily 
by  Paniutin.  Count  T.  also  was  wounded  in  the  hand  ; he 
filled  the  post  of  colleague  to  Stoletoff,  who  commanded  the 
Bulgarian  militia.  All  our  troops  had  suffered  severe  loss. 
Paniutin  lost  out  of  his  regiment,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  about 
350  men.  The  ranks  of  the  Bulgarians,  too,  had  been  greatly 
thinned  by  the  enemy.  The  Rifles,  who  had  fought  very 
bravely,  lost  still  more.  With  regard  to  the  Rifles,  it  must  be 
observed  that  they  form  separate  battalions  and  advance  at 
the  beginning  of  the  battle,  and  consequently  are  at  the  front 
at  the  time  of  attack.  Their  losses  are  therefore  always 
greater  than  those  of  other  portions  of  the  troops.  This  pro- 
portionately large  loss  of  the  Rifles  in  Gourko’s  Guards 
roused  the  Emperor’s  displeasure.  It  was  decided  to  spare 
the  Rifles  more,  i.  e.  to  let  them  march  to  the  front  at  the 
beginning  of  the  battle,  but  only  take  part  in  the  actual 
attack  in  case  of  necessity  ; though  tliis  is  surely  impractica- 
ble. The  moment  of  attack  is  seldom  decided  exactly 
beforehand,  but  each  commander  generally  chooses  the 
proper  moment,  which  is  partly  determined  by  the  position 
of  the  enemy,  and  partly  by  the  temper  of  his  own  troops. 
To  withdrav/  the  troops  stationed  in  front  at  the  very  moment 
when  they  are  getting  keen  is  likely  to  have  a very  bad 
effect. 


On  the  way  to  Imetli  I saw  in  one  place  some  soldiers 
busy  with  a big  Turk.  They  were  turning  his  pockets  inside 
out  and  tearing  out  the  lining  of  his  coat  Now  they  took 
something  up,  and  now  threw  it  down  again  on  the  ground. 
The  Turk  was  not  yet  dead  : muffled  sounds  broke  from  his 
throat.  What  a strong  Turk  ! If  he  had  had  strength,  how 
he  would  have  paid  out  the  soldiers  ! 

The  battery  on  the  nearer  flank  of  the  enemy  is  literally 
filled  with  bodies.  My  horse  shies  at  the  awful  sight.  In  the 
trenches  round  the  battery  Russians  and  Turks  lie  mingled 
together,  the  number  of  our  men  being  considerable.  One 
body  attracted  my  attention  ; the  face,  which  was  young 


I lO 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


showed  him  to  have  been  what  one  calls  a raw  youth.  He 
was  a volunteer.  The  body  lay  apart  from  the  rest,  the  arms 
and  feet  stretched  out,  the  eyes  open.  His  boots — that  most 
important  article  of  clothing  in  a campaign — had  been  taken 
off,  his  pockets  turned  out,  and  a large  number  of  letters  lay 
about — the  enemies  who  robbed  him  were  not  likely  to  care 
for  these  letters.  But  they  had  left  him  also  the  golden  cross 
round  his  neck,  t took  up  the  letters  and  glanced  at  them  to 
discover  the  name  of  the  fallen  youth.  He  was  the  son  of  a 
noble  family  in  the  south  of  Russia.  All  the  tenderness  of  a 
mother  v/as  expressed  in  these  letters  ; she  blessed  him  over 
and  over  again,  besought  him  to  spare  himself,  told  him  of 
packages  sent  off  with  his  favorite  fruit-syrup,  &c. 


The  figure  of  a soldier  often  appeared  near  me.  He  went 
to  the  bodies  of  the  officers  one  after  another,  bent  down, 
looked  at  the  dead  man’s  face,  and  went  on.  I followed  him 
with  my  eyes.  At  last  he  bends  down  over  a body  and 
arranges  and  cleans  the  dress,  puts  the  head  straight,  folds 
the  hands  on  the  breast  and  kisses  them. 

It  was  an  officer’s  servant,  who  had  found  his  dead  master  ; 
for  the  last  time  he  arranged  his  dress. 

* 

Late  in  the  evening  I entered  the  cottage  where  our  young 
fellows  were  quartered  ; it  was  full  of  harness.  The  practical 
Dukmassoff  had  chosen  out  a complete  team  of  three  from 
among  the  horses  taken  from  the  Turks,  and  was  now  endea- 
voring to  procure  the  necessary  harness.  “ Where  are  you 
going  to  take  that?  ” “Home  to  the  Don,”  was  his  answer. 
I bought  a small  horse  from  a Turk,  because  mine,  after  the 
toils  of  the  last  two  days,  was  not  up  to  his  work.  Besides 
that,  I got  a complete  Turkish  equipment  ; it  was  to  have  a 
place  in  my  pictures. 

I forgot  to  mention  that  soon  after  Vessel  Pasha  had  sur- 
rendered Skobeleff  rode  to  Sviatopolk-Mirski,  who  had  com- 
mand of  the  other  division.  I rode  v/ith  him,  and  saw  that 
although  the  generals  embraced  and  kissed  each  other  there 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


1 1 1 


was  constraint  between  them.  Skobeleff  was  evidently  not 
pleased  with  the  little  comedy  acted  by  Mirski  on  receiving 
him.  We  found  the  General  siting  in  the  open  air  at  a 
table,  which  was,  I am  sure,  put  there  to  give  a touch  of 
solemnity  to  the  reception,  as  if  he  had  been  about  to  hold  a 
trial. 

They  told  us  there  that  the  division  had  lost  on  the  first 
day  2,500  men,  and  on  the  second  day,  as  nothing  was  to  be 
seen  of  Skobeleff,  they  were  about  to  retreat  (!).  But  just 
then  music  was  heard,  followed  by  loud  cheering,  musketry 
fire,  and  the  thundering  of  cannon.  It  was  Skobeleff’s  attack- 
ing column.  So,  although  Mirski  had  to  endure  the  first 
onset  of  the  Turks  and  experienced  a hard  fight,  his  fate  was 
evidently  decided  by  Skobeleff. 


* 

On  the  following  morning  I came  to  Shenovo.  They 
told  me  Skobeleff  was  looking  for  me.  I found  him  on 
horseback,  just  ready  to  inspect  the  troops.  We  rode  slowly 
apart  from  the  others.  Tdie  General  observed  that  he  had 
a favor  to  ask  of  me,  and  1 must  promise  him  first 
to  grant  it.  “With  pleasure.”  “ T'he  matter  is  this,” 
he  began  ; “ gossip  and  slander  are  beginning.  It  is  said 
that  I purposely  allowed  the  Turks  to  almost  overwhelm 
Mirski,  purposely  refrained  from  giving  help  the  first  day  in 
order  to  appear  as  a deliverer  the  second.  Mirski  is  intrigu- 
ing. He  is  simply  a thief ; for,  do  you  know  what  he  did  ? 
He  went  into  my  hut  when  I was  away,  demanded  from  my 
servant,  Kurkofsky,  Vessel  Pasha’s  sword,  and  carried  it  off 
to  give  it  up  to  Radetski.  Is  not  that  stealing  ? — for  the 
pasha  surrendered  and  gave  up  his  sword  to  me.  Mirski  is 
older  than  I am,  but  only  in  years,  not  in  rank  ; we  are  both 
commanders  with  equal  rights,  both  under  Radetski,  not  one 
under  the  other.  You  know,  Vassily  Vassilievitch,  what  hap- 
pened : you  remember  that  I made  every  effort  to  come  to 
his  assistance,  but  I could  not  imperil  the  success  of  the 
expedition  to  procure  laurels  for  Mirski.  Ride  to  headquar- 
ters, and  tell  his  Imperial  Highness  the  facts  of  the  matter.” 
“This  commission  is,  I confess,  very  disagreeable  to  me,”  I 
answered.  “ I was  always  very  cautious  in  my  behavior  at 


1 12 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


headquarters  ; and  although  the  Grand  Duke  was  always 
friendly  to  me,  he  might  say  the  matter  was  no  concern  of 
mine.”  Do  not  refuse  my  request,”  said  Skobeleff ; do  it 
forme:  you  promised.”  “Very  well,”  I assented,  “I  will 
ride  off.”  I advised  that  meanwhile  Tchaikofski,  the  officer 
from  headquarters  who  v/as  with  Skobeleff,  should  be  sent 
with  the  official  announcement.  I knew  he  was  an  honest 
fellow,  incapable  of  slander. 

During  this  conversation  we  had  left  the  village.  The 
troops  were  drawn  up  with  the  left  flank  towards  Mount  St. 
Nicholas,  and  the  front  towards  Shenovo.  Suddenly  Sko- 
beleff drove  his  spurs  into  his  horse’s  flanks  and  dashed  along 
at  full  gallop,  swinging  his  cap  high  in  the  air  and  calling  out 
to  the  soldiers,  In  the  name  of  our  country,  in  the  name  of 
the  Emperer,  I thank  you,  brothers.”  I observed  that  there 
were  tears  in  his  eyes.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers  is 
difficult  to  describe.  Caps  flew  into  the  air  ; they  cheered 
as  if  they  would  never  stop.  Skobeleff  said  to  me  later  that 
he  had  very  nearly  made  a faux  pas.  i\s  he  uttered  the 
words  “ In  the  name  of  our  country,”  it  fortunately  occurred 
to  him  to  add  “ in  the  name  of  the  Emperor  ; ” otherwise  he 
might  have  been  accused  of  Nihilism. 

Soon  after  I rode  through  the  mountains  to  Selvi.  I was 
given  a number  of  telegrams  which  I was  to  dispatch  to 
Russia  to  relatives  of  the  senders.  I proposed  to  Vessel 
Pasha  to  send  a telegram  to  Constantinople,  and  the  chief  of 
his  staff  gave  me  a piece  of  paper  on  which  he  had  written  in 
French,  “After  many  bloody  struggles  to  save  the  army,  I 
have  surrendered  with  the  pashas  and  the  whole  army. — 
Vessel.” 

N.  D.  started  with  me  ; he  wanted  to  make  observations 
on  the  Shipka  in  order  to  be  able  to  send  his  newspaper  as 
complete  a report  as  possible  of  the  course  of  affairs.  I have 
seldom  laughed  as  much  as  I did  then.  N.  D.  did  not 
appear  on  his  own  horse,  which  was  in  need  of  rest,  but  on  a 
tall  thin  Cossack  horse  from  the  Don,  which  Dukmassoff  had 
placed  at  his  disposal.  “ Where  on  earth  did  you  get  that 
animal  from  ? ” “I  want  to  try  it  : Dukmassoff  wants  to  sell 
it  ; it  is  a real  Don  horse,”  N.  D.  answered  from  his  lofty 
perch.  At  the  first  step  which  the  reputed  Don  horse  took 
his  character  was  gone  ; for  when  N.  D.  urged  him  to  greater 
speed  he  began  to  kick  ; and  the  further  we  went  the  worse 


SKOBELEFF  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  SHENOVA. 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


I 14 

it  got.  I laughed  until  I cried,  but  N.  D.,  in  a rage,  lashed 
his  horse  and  exclaimed,  “Just  wait  ; I will  teach  you,  I will 
do  for  you.  What  a rascal  that  Dukmassoff  is  ! He  would 
sell  me  this  horse,  would  he  ? We  shall  see.”  His  generally 
good-natured  face  was  quite  disfigured  by  his  vexation.  His 
steed  began  to  turn  round  under  his  lashes  ; with  head  down, 
it  turned  about,  moved  its  tail  up  and  down,  and  kicked. 

❖ 

Hi  ^ 

In  the  village  of  Shipka  everything  was  destroyed  except 
the  church  ; not  one  house  remained  entire.  We  rode  along 
the  road  up  the  hill.  7'he  deserted  cannon  stood  on  the 
Turkish  batteries.  The  Turks  were  seeking  out  the  m.ost 
valuable  of  their  possessions  and  putting  them  into  their 
knapsacks,  preparing  to  begin  their  toilsome  march  into  cap- 
tivity. At  the  highest  trench,  which  was  strongly  fortified, 
I was  startled  by  the  terrible  number  of  Russian  bodies. 
None  lay  by  the  breastwork  ; which  proves,  contrary  to 
the  official  report,  that  our  men  did  not  storm  the  Turkish 
fortifications  themselves,  but  only  advanced  up  to  the  broad 
ditch  which  had  been  made  some  little  distance  from  the 
entrenchment,  and  there  planted  themselves. 

From  thence  I sent  my  horse  on  to  the  road  again,  but 
began  myself  to  climb  up  the  rock  at  the  same  spot  where  in 
September,  Suleiman  Pasha  undertook  his  fierce  attack  on 
the  Shipka.  The  whole  path  was  now  thickly  strewn  with 
bodies.  The  stench  was  unbearable,  for  the  snow  scarcely 
covered  the  scene  of  horror.  Progress  was  here  so  difficult 
that  I admired  the  bravery  of  the  Turks,  who  had  climbed 
the  steep  ascent,  obliged  as  I was  to  cling  to  the  remains  of 
bushes  and  regularly  crawl  through  the  ranks  of  the  dead.  I 
did  not  want  to  turn  back,  but  I could  not  venture  to  go  on ; 
creeping  over  the  bodies  on  all  fours  was  hard  enough,  and 
there  was  such  an  odor  .that  1 felt  quite  ill.  Fortunately  a 
soldier  appeared  at  the  top  of  the  rock. 

“Brother,”  I called  in  a voice  of  despair;  “help  me.” 
He  came  down,  gave  me  his  hand,  and  pulled  me  up  to  the 
rock,  where  I breathed  freely. 

In  N.’s  mud  hut,  with  whom  I was  already  acquainted,  I 
found  General  Molski,  and  we  opened  a bottle  of  champagne 
to  celebrate  the  victory.  N.  was  not  there,  he  had  to  take 
over  muskets,  guns,  and  flags,  from  the  Turks. 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS.  II5 

In  the  evening  I went  into  the  mud  hut  occupied  by  Gen- 
eral Petrushefski,  also  an  old  Turkestan  acquaintance.  I 
found  with  him  Brigadier-General  Biskupski,  the  chief  of 
Radetski’s  staff,  Generals  Dmitrofoski  and  S. , the  latter  an 
officer  on  the  general  staff,  who  was  with  Mirski  during  our 
flanking  movement.  The  conversation  was  very  lively. 
Although  they  were  evidently  cautious  in  my  presence,  I 
found  that  Skobeleff  was  severely  criticised  there  for  his  vic- 
tory over  Vessel  Pasha,  although  those  present  were  his 
friends.  S.,  who  was  with  Mirski,  was  particularly  vexed  at 
Skobeleff,  probably  because  he  was  his  particular  friend.  I 
have  often  observed  that  after  a battle,  when  the  time  comes 
for  rewards,  the  best  friends  fall  foul  of  each  other.  Skobe- 
leff, besides,  had  incurred  the  censure  of  his  friends  for  a 
long  time  because  he  had  outstripped  them.  I took  up 
Skobeleff’s  defense. 

“ Do  you  think  that  our  attack  led  to  nothmg  ? ” Dmit- 
rofski  finally  asked  me.  ‘-I  do  not  think  that.  Your  attack 
must  have  greatly  alarmed  the  Turks;  to  be  attacked  on 
three  sides  mast  have  driven  them  to  despair.  I believe  that 
each  day  accomplished  its  work.” 

I had  not  time  to  visit  General  Radetski,  for  which  omis- 
sion he  afterwards  reproached  me,  and  drove  in  a sleigh, 
which  had  been  put  at  my  disposal  most  kindly  by  Biskupski, 
to  Gabrovo.  A drive  to  Selvi  would  have  been  fruitless, 
because  the  commander-in-chief  had  moved  his  headquarters 
to  Gabrovo.  He  was  expected  there  that  very  morning. 
As  soon  as  the  Grand  Duke  arrived,  I went  to  him.  Skalon 
and  Skobeleff’s  father  met  me.  “ You  come  from  the  detach- 
ment, from  Misha  ! ” they  called  out  as  they  saw  me,  and 
took  me  to  the  Grand  Duke.  I related  what  I knew  of  the 
battle  in  the  most  conscientious  manner.  In  order  to  dis- 
cover what  impression  my  incomplete  narrative  produced,  I 
added  that  Skobeleff  was  blamed  because  he  had  not  made 
the  attack  a day  earlier  ; to  attack  with  half  our  strength 
would,  however,  have  been  a great  risk,  apart  from  the  fact 
that,  even  in  the  event  of  success,  the  greater  part  of  the 
enemy’s  troops  would  have  retreated  and  escaped,  as  we  had 
no  cavalry  to  hold  them. 

“ That  is  certainly  true,”  replied  the  Grand  Duke. 

I then  told  the  elder  Skobeleff  that  I had  come  to  the 
Grand  Duke  at  his  son’s  request.  “ You  ought  to  have  told 


ii6 


VERESTCHAGIN, 


the  Grand  Duke  how  many  guns  and  colors  have  been  taken; 
you  only  told  him  how  they  attacked  to  the  sound  of  music.” 
“ I narrated  the  affair  as  I understood  it  ; the  Grand  Duke 
will  hear  about  the  guns,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  which  is  so 
dear  to  you,  without  my  assistance.” 

I learned  later,  in  the  course  of  conversation  with  Skalon, 
that  the  immediate  conclusion  of  peace  was  contemplated. 
“ Impossible  ! ” I said.  ‘‘  I will  tell  the  Grand  Duke  at  once 
that  it  is  impossible.  Was  it  worth  while  to  shed  so  much 
blood  ?”  Well,  then,  go  and  tell  him.” 

I went  again  to  the  commander-in-chief,  with  whom 
Prince  Tcherkaski  was  sitting.  Your  Imperial  Highness,  I 
have  a few  words  to  say.”  “ Certainly,”  replied  the  Grand 
Duke.  Tcherkaski  withdrew. 

“ Is  it  true  that  you  are  about  to  conclude  peace  ? ” 

Not  I,  my  friend  ; but  St.  Petersburg  intends.” 

Evade  the  order  somehow.” 

“ It  is  impossible.  If  the  order  is  given  I make  peace.” 
It  is  not  possible  ! In  that  case  the  war  ought  not 
to  have  been  begun.” 

What  is  to  be  done  ? I will  do  what  I can  ; but  I am 
afraid  they  will  not  ask  me  at  all.” 

“ Cut  the  telegraph  wires  : commission  me  : I will  inter- 
rupt the  communication.  A peace  which  is  not  concluded  in 
Constantinople  is  not  to  be  thought  of  ; at  least  it  should  be 
a peace  in  Adrianople.”  Skalon,  who  had  come  in  with  me, 
supported  me. 

“ I will  go  as  far  as  possible,  be  assured.  ” With  these 
words  the  Grand  Duke  dismissed  me. 

The  Grand  Duke  ordered  his  horse,  to  go  and  visit  the 
wounded  officers  in  the  hospital.  As  the  hospital  was  quite 
close  and  the  stre(;t  was  covered  with  ice,  I persuaded 
him  to  go  on  foot ; the  people  greeted  him  enthusiasti- 
cally. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  Grand  Duke,  in  spite  of 
numerous  defeats  and  mistakes,  was  very  popular.  Besides, 
it  was  known  in  the  army  that  he  had  to  contend  not  only 
with  the  Turks,  but  also  with  various  private  interests. 

I told  him  that  I had  ordered  a number  of  Turks  who 
had  made  a disturbance  to  be  taken  out  of  the  hospital.  He 
gave  his  approval.  He  talked  for  a long  time  with  Kuropat- 
kin  and  Laskofsky  in  the  hospital.  The  following  day  he 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


II/ 


had  to  cross  the  mountains  to  inspect  Radetski’s,  Skobeleff’s 
and  Mirski’s  troops. 

H:  ¥• 

I passed  the  night  with  my  brother,  who  was  detained  in 
Gabrovo  by  a wound  in  the  foot,  and  then  I started  on  my 
way  back  to  Skobeleff. 

On  the  Shipka  there  was  such  a snowstorm  as  it  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine  ; whirling  snowdrifts  threw  us  down  and 
obliterated  the  paths.  Petrushefski  and  Biskupski  begged 
me  to  spend  the  night  with  them  ; but  I would  not  listen  to 
them,  drank  my  tea,  and  continued  on  my  way — a decision 
which,  to  confess  the  truth,  I afterwards  regretted,  for  the 
snowstorm  was  so  violent  that  it  was  impossible  not  only 
to  ride  but  even  to  walk.  The  wind  was  so  strong  and 
the  road  so  slippery  that  I fell  down  continually.  My 
Cossack  also  fell  several  times,  and,  worst  of  all,  broke  my 
paint-box  in  doing  so.  We  descended  the  whole  night, 
and  early  in  the  morning  I reached  Shenovo. 

Count  Keller,  whom  I met  later,  told  me  of  an  amusing 
incident  concerning  General  Mirski.  The  story  was  only 
credible  because  it  came  from  the  lips  of  such  a modest  and 
brave  officer.  General  Radetski,  who  was  in  command  of 
an  army  corps,  and  had  the  chief  direction  of  the  whole 
Shipka  army,  was  about  to  come  down  from  the  pass. 
Count  Keller  sent  out  a Cossack  with  orders  to  bring  him 
word  the  moment  the  general  left  the  mountains,  in  order 
that  a guard  of  honor  might  be  drawm  up  in  proper  time. 
When  Radetski  arrived.  Count  Keller,  who  received  him 
wich  the  others,  saw  that  the  men  who  formed  the  guard 
of  honor  did  not  belong  to  Skobeleff’s  division,  which  was 
the  nearer  one,  but  to  Mirski’s,  wdiich  was  the  more  distant  ; 
he  also  saw  the  Cossack  whom  he  had  sent  standing  by  the 
guard  of  honor.  Why,”  he  called  out  to  him,  “ did  you 
not  summon  our  guard  of  honor,  which  was  in  readiness  ?” 
“ His  Excellency  did  not  give  the  order,”  he  answered. 
It  turned  out  that  General  Mirski  had  met  the  Cossack  and 
learned  from  him  what  he  was  sent  to  do.  He  thereupon 
detained  him,  and  in  the  mean  time  ordered  a guard  of  honor 
of  his  own  men  to  be  drawn  up. 

I found  Skobeleff  busy  with  preparations  for  the  recep- 


Ii8 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


tion  of  the  commander-in-chief.  He  told  me,  among  other 
things,  that  he  had  told  Radetski  how  General  Mirski  got 
possession  of  Vessel  Pasha’s  sword,  and  that  Radetski  had 
observed  : “ Do  let  that  alone.  How  can  you  care  about 
such  trifles  ? ’’ 

It  gave  me  great  amusement  to  watch  Skobeleffs  prepa- 
rations for  the  reception  of  the  Grand  Duke,  and  to  see  how 
fearful  he  was  of  committing  some  mistake.  He  had  no  idea 
of  what  military  etiquette  required  in  the  matter  of  sentries 
and  parades.  Believing  that  the  Grand  Duke  would  make 
the  troops  march  past  in  line,  he  racked  his  brains  as  to  how 
he  should  behave,  how  he  should  give  his  orders,  where  he 
should  stand,  etc.  His  only  deliverer  was  his  orderly,  Hom- 
itchefski,  an  officer  belonging  to  a regiment  of  the  Yang 
Guards.  “ Tell  me  quicker  ; where  must  the  sappers  stand  ?” 
“ At  the  head.  Your  Excellency.”  “ Well,  then,  how  have  I 
got  to  give  the  word  of  command?”  ‘‘Your  Excellency 
will  then  say,”  etc.  When  I saw  with  what  seriousness  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  instructed  how  to  command,  where  to 
stand,  etc.,  I could  not  help  laughing  aloud  “ What  are  you 
laughing  at,  Vassily  Vassilievitch  ? ” Skobeleff  asked,  like  an 
injured  child.  “ How  can  I help  laughing  ? A general,  be- 
fore whom  the  Turks  have  laid  down  their  arms,  is  learning 
a set  of  words  like  a school-boy ! ” 

Several  times  Skobeleff  took  me  aside  and  asked,  “ Vas- 
sily Vassilievitch,  tell  me  ; did  the  Grand  Duke  listen  to  your 
account  attentively  ? How  did  he  answer  you  ? ” and  so  on. 

❖ 

❖ * 

High  up  on  the  mountain  a long  line  of  dots  became  vis- 
ible coming  towards  us  ; it  was  the  Grand  Duke  with  his 
suite.  Skobeleff’s  perplexity  became  more  and  more  evi- 
dent ; he  looked  quite  miserable.  I observed  that  he  always 
had  a very  troubled  expression  when  he  had  to  receive  peo- 
ple of  high  rank.  Such  a situation  was  evidently  very  dis- 
agreeable to  him,  because  he  was  uncertain  what  would  be 
said  to  him  and  how  he  would  be  received. 

The  Grand  Duke  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
where  General  Radetski  awaited  him.  When  he  was  still  at 
some  distance,  the  Grand  Duke  swung  his  cap  in  the  air  and 
called  out,  “ Fedor  Fedorovitch,  hurrah  ! ” He  embraced. 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BALKANS. 


1 19 

kissed  and  congratulated  Radetski  on  his  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  general  of  infantry,  and  decorated  him  with  the 
Cross  of  St.  George  of  the  second  class.  Then  the  Grand 
Duke  rode  up  to  Skobelelf,  gave  him  his  shoulder  to  kiss, 
and — that  was  all.  1 looked  at  Michael  Dmitrievitch.  It  is 
painful  to  me  even  now  to  recall  the  miserable,  I might  say 
helpless,  expression  in  his  face  ; sadly  he  rode  behind  the 
Grand  Duke  and  gave  confusedly  the  necessary  orders.  I 
was  sorry  for  him  and  1 was  ready  to  say  to  the  Grand 
Duke  : “ Look  at  Skobeleff.  Either  he  has  failed,  or  you 
do  not  understand  what  it  costs  a man  like  him  to  be  passed 
over  before  everybody.  At  least  have  some  pity  for  him  ; 
say  aloud  that  he  has  done  good  service.”  The  soleliers  also 
seemed  to  feel  the  painful  situation,  for  they  receiveel  the 
Grand  Duke  with  such  a small  show  of  enthusiasm,  shouted 
hurrah  so  feebly  and  unwillingly,  that  the  Grand  Duke  him- 
self must  have  noticed  the  coldness  of  his  welcome.  I do 
not  know  whether  he  understood  the  situation.  He  rode 
through  the  lines  and  presently  took  his  departure. 

Skobeleff  accompanied  him,  spoke  some  time  with  him, 
and  then  seemed  more  tranquil. 

Skobeleff  defeated  and  took  prisoners  a Turkish  army. 
His  immediate  superior  received  for  this  act  the  Order  of  St. 
George — the  highest  military  distinction  ; his  colleague,  the 
commander  of  the  second  detachment,  although  his  attack 
was  not  a successful  one,  received  the  same  order  ; but  Sko- 
beleff himself  did  not  receive  this  distinction,  because  he  was 
too  young  for  the  second  class.  Promotion  was  denied  him 
for  the  same  reason.  Much  later  he  was  given,  in  common 
with  many  others,  a sword  for  bravery ; but,  as  he  already 
possessed  two  such  weapons,  he  had  to  choose  between  keep- 
ing the  sword  in  its  case,  or  wearing  all  three  swords  on  sol- 
emn occasions,  which  would  have  been  equally  uncomfortable 
and  unusual. 

The  Grand  Duke  expressed  displeasure  at  several  matters; 
among  others,  that  a large  number  of  our  dead  belonging  to 
Mirski’s  force  had  not  yet  been  buried. 

The  commander-in-chief  rode  to  Kasanlyk,  whither  head- 
quarters were  transferred.  I rode  to  Skobeleff,  with  whom  I 
was  to  dine.  His  father  was  there  ; also  General  Struckoff 
and  some  one  else.  When  I was  leaving  him  in  the  evening 
I observed  that  he  had  not  received  the  Grand  Duke  in  a man- 


120 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


ner  worthy  of  him.  That  annoyed  him.  What  do  you  ex- 
pect me  to  do  ? I shall  not  make  the  soldiers  artificially  en- 
thusiastic, and  order  them  to  throw  their  caps  in  the  air.  He 
was  coldly  received  because  they  did  not  want  to  receive  him 
warmly.  Do  you  think  I am.  a ninny  ? Am  I to  salute  Rad- 
etski  with  cheers  ? He  has  the  honor  : very  well  ; but  he 
might  have  found  a kind  word  for  me — he  did  not  even 
thank  me.” 


IV. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIAN  OP  LE—STRUKOFF. 

1878. 

When  I spoke  to  the  commander-in-chief  at  Gabrovo  of  the 
importance  of  capturing  Adrianople,  he  gave  me  as  one  of 
the  reasons  against  it,  the  fact  that  the  commissariat  sent  in 
no  provisions. 

“ We  have  no  biscuits  ! ” he  said. 

I forgot  to  tell  him  that  Skobeleff  had  seized  450,000 
pounds  of  excellent  Turkish  biscuits,  beautiful  and  white, 
capitally  baked  and  far  superior  to  our  own,  and  that  it 
would  be  well  to  requisition  them  at  once,  as  Skobeleff  had 
allowed  his  men  to  take  as  much  as  they  liked,  so  that  cart- 
loads of  biscuits  had  already  been  fetched  away.  When  the 
Grand  Duke  left,  I remembered  the  incident  and  told  it  to 
the  chief  of  the  staff,  Nepokoytchitsky.  He  was  so  delighted 
at  the  news,  that  he  would  not  believe  me,  but  put  spurs 
to  his  horse,  and  galloped  off  to  find  out  for  himself.  As 
soon  as  the  information  was  confirmed,  the  commander-in- 
chief was  informed,  and  orders  were  given  to  advance.  In 
the  evening  I dined  with  Skobeleff  and  Strukoff  and  Skobe- 
leff’s  father.  Strukoff  invited  me  to  join  him  on  a cavalry 
scouting  expedition  to  Germanli,  whither  he  had  been 
ordered  by  the  commander-in-chief.  I accepted,  but  was 
unfortunately  prevented  from  joining  him  at  once,  that  is  the 
next  day,  because  my  Cossack  had  broken  my  box  of  colors 
in  the  Shipka  Pass,  the  night  before,  during  a storm  that 
nearly  knocked  us  off  our  feet,  and  I had  sent  it  to  Gabrovo 
to  be  mended  ; so  I had  to  wait. 

I rode  off  to  headquarters,  which  were  then  at  Kazanlik, 
and  found  them  in  the  most  miserable  condition.  Although 
the  town  had  been  almost  burnt  down,  quarters  were  to  be 
found,  but  there  was  absolutely  no  food.  I thought  of  the 
plenty  that  reigned  in  Skobeleffs  division,  especially  as 
regarded  sweets,  and  I told  General  Stein  that  I hoped  to  be 


122 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


able  to  send  him  some  remnants.  “ Is  it  possible  ! ” exclaimed 
with  delight  this  worthy  custodian  of  order  and  stomachs  at 
headquarters,  ‘‘  Could  you  manage  to  do  so  at  once  ? I 
will  give  you  an  escort  of  Cossacks.”  I rode  back  to  the 
village  with  two  Cossacks  and  gave  them  a pailful  of  apple 
jam,  a pot  of  cherry  jam,  and  half  a sack  of  almonds.  At 
this  last  item  Skobeleff’s  orderly,  Baranoff,  demurred,  for  he 
was  very  fond  of  them,  but  at  headquarters  my  consignment 
caused  great  joy.  At  last  there  was  something  to  eat.  I 
was  told  that  at  dinner  the  appearance  of  jam-pancakes 
produced  a sensation. 

❖ 

^ * 

I called  on  my  friend  Skalon,  military  secretary  to  the 
commander-in-chief,  and  begged  him  to  let  my  brother  Alex- 
ander, who  was  wounded  on  the  30th  of  August,  and  had 
not  yet  recovered,  remain  away  from  his  regiment  a little 
longer.  The  Grand  Duke  very  kindly  allowed  him  to  be 
temporarily  attached  to  his  staff  as  orderly  officer. 

When  I called  on  Skalon  I found  him  busy  with  the  dis- 
patches for  the  Emperor  concerning  the  latest  military 
operations,  the  capture  of  a Turkish  army,  etc.  Skobeleff 
was  very  anxious  to  send  his  chief  of  the  staff,  the  gallant 
Count  Keller,  with  the  dispatches,  and  offered  to  do  so,  but 
as  it  was  felt  that  if  this  officer  were  sent,  the  entire  merit  of 
the  achievement  would  be  ascribed  by  him  to  Skobeleff,  S. 
was  selected,  an  officer  of  the  staff  attached  to  Mirsky’s 
division,  Mirsky  being  very  jealous  of  Skobeleff  and  more 
inimical  to  him  than  any  of  the  other  generals.  I pointed 
out  to  Skalon  that  the  report  to  the  Emperor  might,  under 
these  circumstances,  assume  a very  partial  character,  and  so 
Skalon,  although  by  no  means  well  disposed  to  Skobeleff, 
told  S. : “ Mind,  my  friend,  remember  that  every  word  of 
your  report  will  be  made  known  to  the  Grand  Duke  ; besides, 
another  officer  will  be  dispatched  in  addition  to  you,  and  he 
may  make  an  entirely  contradictory  report  to  the  Emperor, 
so  don’t  allow  yourself  to  be  carried  away.”  S.  warmly 
protested  against  such  suspicions  of  partiality  to  his  incapa- 
ble commander,  but  I am  convinced  that  he  did  exactly  as 
was  suspected,  and  represented  everything  topsy-turvy,  for 
Skobeleff  received  but  a paltry  recognition  of  his  brilliant 
victory  at  Shenovo,  and  that  only  a long  time  afterward  and 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  1 23 


in  common  with  a great  many  other  officers.  Trivial  as  the 
circumstance  may  seem,  Skobeleff  felt  it  deeply. 

When  we  learned  that  Suleyman  Pasha  had  been  defeated 
by  General  Gourko  and  was  retreating  to  Adrianople,  Skobe- 
leff was  ordered  to  intercept  him  by  forced  marches.  His 
division  marched  through  Kazanlik,  passed  the  Grand  Duke, 
as  if  on  parade,  but  with  such  giant  strides  that  the  men  nearly 
tore  their  legs  to  pieces  ; the  rear  ranks  were  very  much  broken 
up,  and  the  transport  animals  were  still  more  straggling,  the 
whole  getting  hopelessly  clubbed. 

The  Grand  Duke  asked  Skobeleff  whether  I was  going 
with  him.  “ I hope  so,”  was  Skobeleff’s  reply.  I soon 
afterward  took  my  leave  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and,  in 
answer  to  his  “ au  revoir,”  said,  “at  Adrianople.”  My 
prophecy  was  afterward  fulfilled. 

Hs  * 

We  marched  on  very  rapidly,  but  accomplished  the 
transit  of  the  lesser  Balkans  with  mmch  difficulty  ; for  the 
road  along  the  pass  was  very  narrow,  and  the  least  stoppage 
of  a transport  wagon  entailed  a halt  on  all  the  troops  behind 
it.  However,  I believe  the  transit  was  a success  ; we  lost 
neither  men  nor  baggage. 

In  the  evening  we  arrived  at  the  town  of  Eski  Zagra, 
situated  at  the  end  of  the  pass,  and  so  battered  to  pieces  by 
the  Turks  after  the  retreat  of  Gourko’s  division,  that  hardly 
any  habitable  houses  had  been  left.  It  was  nearly  dark  when 
I rode  into  the  streets,  which  were  lined  on  each  side  by  a 
melancholy  row  of  ruins.  I had  no  idea  where  I was  to  pass 
the  night,  and  much  less  where  I was  to  dine.  I looked  into 
Skobeleff’s  quarters,  and  could  see  him  through  the  lighted 
window,  walking  to  and  fro  like  a caged  tiger,  evidently  in 
a rage  about  something  ; beside  he  had  Colonel  A.  with  him. 
Fortunately  I met  General  T.,  a most  charming  man,  who 
had  the  reputation,  in  Skobeleff’s  division,  of  being  an  arrant 
coward.  At  the  present  juncture  it  was  more  important 
to  me  to  learn  that  he  had  a bench  for  me  to  sleep  on,  some 
native  wine,  and  a fair  supper.  We  spent  a very  jovial  even- 
ing and  had  many  a hearty  laugh  together. 

T.’s  brigade  had  orders  to  march  immediately  behind  the 
cavalry,  but  as  the  officers  dawdled  away  a few  minutes,  the 
cavalry  marched  on,  and  the  infantry,  not  following  imme- 


124 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


diateiy,  lost  it : simply  lost  it — the  darkness  was  so  intense. 
There  were  several  roads,  but  as  numbers  of  horses  had 
travelled  over  all  of  them  in  the  course  of  the  day,  it  was 
difficult  to  know  what  to  follow.  Poor  T.  was  frightfully 
alarmed  when  he  was  informed  that  the  time  for  starting  had 
long  since  passed,  but  that  no  one  could  discover  which  road 
the  cavalry  had  taken.  With  his  food  in  his  mouth  he  jumped 
up,  buckled  on  his  sword,  and  rushed  out  in  the  dense  dark- 
ness to  find  the  cavalry.  To  tell  Skobeleff  of  this  misadven- 
ture and  ask  his  advice  could  not  even  be  thought  of  ; as  for 
such  a slip  he  would  have  taken  T.’s  command  away  from 
him  at  once.  In  half  an  hour’s  time  T.  returned  in  triumph  ; 
he  silently  took  off  his  sword  and  sat  down  to  resume  his 
mutton.  Well,  did  you  find  theni  ? ” “Yes.”  “ How  did 
you  manage  it  ? ” He  looked  at  me  compassionately,  tapped 
his  head  with  his  forefinger,  and  said  : “ Quand  ceci  appele 
tete  tout — faire  ! ” 

A statement  which,  of  course,  I did  not  dispute.  T.  was 
very  fond  of  French,  and  spoke  it  very  badly  ; indeed,  the 
above  was  far  from  being  the  worst  specimen  of  his  attempts 
in  this  direction. 

As  I said  before,  T.  was  considered  a coward  in  the 
division,  and  this  opinion  was  partly  correct.  At  Plevna  he 
commanded  the  Ouglitch  regiment,  which  lay  down  in  some 
vineyards  during  the  third  attack  on  Plevna  and  would  not 
move  out  of  them,  owing,  of  course,  to  the  want  of  courage 
of  its  commander,  for  at  Shenovo  this  same  regiment,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  gallant  Paniontin  marched  to  the  attack 
with  distinguished  heroism.  Overcome  by  fear  during  this 
attack,  T.  reported  himself  on  the  sick  list,  and  did  not  get 
well  until  Plevna  fell.  Skobeleff,  who  hated  cowards,  would 
have  got  rid  of  him,  if  he  had  not  been  such  an  accomplished 
flatterer.  To  his  face  and  behind  his  back  T.  always  and 
everywhere  spoke  of  Skobeleff  as  “ the  bravest  of  men,”  as 
“an  unprecedented  hero,”  etc.;  so  that  Skobeleff  could  not 
find  it  in  his  heart  to  be  angry  with  him  long.  “ What  a 
coward  that  fellow  T.  is  ! ” he  would  say,  “ how  sick  I am  of 
him  ! ” But  nevertheless  he  bore  with  him,  and  even  secured 
for  him  promotions  and  rewards  occasionally,  and  that  was 
all  T.  wanted.  ^ 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  on  leaving  my 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  12 5 


quarters  with  T.,  I met  General  Dokhturoff,  who  commanded 
the  cavalry,  and  whom  I had  not  previously  known.  He 
brought  news  from  the  front  from  my  friend  Strukoff,  who 
stated  that  the  bridge  over  the  Maritza  had  been  captured 
with  several  guns  that  protected  it,  and  that  a tabor  (bat- 
talion) of  Turks,  holding  an  intrenched  position,  had  been 
routed.  The  General  was  angry  that  the  report  came  from 
Strukoff,  who  had  been  attached  to  the  division  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, and  not  from  his  own  colonel  of  dragoons, 
who  was  in  the  van.  “Just  fancy  that  fellow,  Strukoff,”  he 
said  to  me  almost  before  he  knew  me  ; “ he  gets  on  every- 
where. He  has  carried  off  the  victory  even  here.  It’s  too 
disgusting  ! ” 

* ^ 

By  daylight  we  could  see  still  better  how  completely  the 
town  of  Eski  Zagra  had  been  destroyed.  Had  it  not  been 
for  an  occasional  pillar  of  smoke  obstructing  the  view  here 
and  there,  one  could  have  looked  across  from  one  end  of 
the  town  to  the  other.  The  Turks  had  wreaked  their  piti- 
less vengeance  on  the  unfortunate  Bulgarians  who  had  given 
Gourko’s  army  a hearty  reception,  in  true  Turkish  fashion. 

The  road  from  here  to  Germanli  was  strewn  with  strag- 
glers from  the  regiments  ahead  of  us.  As  orders  had  been 
given  not  to  drive  the  men  on  by  force,  but  to  allow  them  to 
rest  whenever  they  felt  tired,  they  were  sitting  about  in 
couples,  holding  most  mind-improving  converse.  But  in  the 
end  Skobeleffs  indulgence  was  justified  ; they  all  overtook 
their  regiments  in  the  evening  or  on  the  following  morning  ; 
and  thanks  to  their  rest,  the  men  were  not  ill  on  the  march. 

I was  riding  quite  alone,  my  Cossack  had  lagged  behind 
as  was  his  wont.  There  was  still  a good  deal  of  snow  about, 
from  underneath  which,  here  and  there,  sheep  were  nibbling 
the  grass.  As  our  provisions  had  been  very  deficient,  and  as 
I did  not  know  how  they  might  turn  out  later  on,  I got  off 
my  horse,  picked  out  the  fattest  sheep  I could  find,  tied 
it  to  my  saddle,  and  then  pursued  my  journey.  I was  soon 
overtaken  by  Skobeleff,  who  called  out  : “ What  have  you  got 
hold  of  there  ? ” “ As  you  see,  a sheep,”  I replied.  “ I am 

afraid  there  will  be  nothing  to  eat.”  “There  will  be  plenty 
to  eat  in  the  front,”  he  replied,  “ don’t  bother  yourself  with 
it;  let  it  go.”  However,  I did  not  feel  reassured,  and  did 


126 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


not  let  my  booty  go,  although  I afterward  discovered  that 
there  were  plenty  of  provisions  in  the  front.  ‘‘I  say,  Vassili 
Vassilievitch,”  said  Skobeleff,  “ do  you  know  Suleyman 
Pasha  is  marching  on  us  ? ” 

Where  did  you  learn  that  ? ” I asked. 

I have  received  most  reliable  information  to  that  effect. 
We  shall  soon  be  going  into  action,  don’t  lag  behind  ! ” And 
with  these  words  he  galloped  off.  Knowing  that  Skobeleff 
often  took  for  facts  what  he  wished  to  believe.  I did  not 
place  great  faith  in  this  supposed  advance  of  Suleyman’s  and 
rode  on  leisurely,  keeping  my  sheep  in  tow,  w^hich  was  con- 
tinually darting  sideways,  nearly  pulling  off  my  saddle  and 
seriously  hampering  my  horse’s  movements.  I did  not  give 
up  the  hope  of  viewing  the  whole  campaign  comfortably 
with  my  fat  booty  by  my  side,  but  on  arriving  at  the  next 
halting  station  I saw  so  many  sheep  running  about,  that  I 
gave  mine  its  freedom  at  once,  after  all  my  wasted  trouble  ! 
Our  halt  was  at  the  railway  station  of  Tirnovo-Semenli. 
The  surprise  that  awaited  me  here  made  me  think  I was 
dreaming.  On  asking  for  the  General  I was  shown  into  the 
waiting-room  of  the  station  where  I found  most  of  our  offi- 
cers sitting  around  a well-laid  table,  at  which  they  had  evi- 
dently enjoyed  an  excellent  dinner,  and  where  they  were  now 
drinking  their  coffee  and  smoking  cigars.  I was  at  once 
invited  to  join  them,  and  dinner  was  brought  me.  Strukoff 
was  particularly  glad  that  I had  at  last  overtaken  him,  and 
made  me  promise  that  I would  stick  to  him  in  the  future. 

He  told  me  after  dinner  all  about  his  engagement. 
When  he  arrived  with  the  dragoons  the  Turks  set  fire  to  the 
bridge,  but  his  men  extinguished  the  flames  and  occupied 
the  bridge,  securing  it  as  a means  of  crossing  the  idver. 
The  reinforcements  who  came  up  and  opened  fire  on  the 
dragoons,  did  not  distinguish  themselves,  they  simply  ran 
away  after  spiking  their  own  guns.  Thus  a battalion  of 
infantry  fled  before  two  squadrons  of  cavalry,  and  did  not 
even  succeed  in  burning  down  or  blowing  up  the  bridge 
committed  to  their  charge.  If  they  had  burned  down  that 
bridge  we  should  have  been  delayed  in  getting  across  the 
river,  wffiich  was  covered  with  floating  ice,  and  Suleyman 
Pasha  would  have  had  time  to  retreat  on  Adrianople  by 
means  of  the  railway  from  Germanli.  Of  course  it  was 
to  Skobeleff’s  rapidity  of  movement  and  Strukoff’s  gal- 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF.  12/ 


lantry  that  the  army  owed  the  capture  of  this  important 
point. 

❖ ❖ 

We  subsequently  discovered  that  Suleyman  kept  sending 
off  telegrams  for  railway  carriages  to  convey  his  troops  to 
Adrianople.  These  dispatches  fell  into  Strukoff’s  hands. 
From  them  we  gathered  that  the  Turks,  who  were  being 
pursued  by  Gourko  from  Philippopolis,  did  not  expect  us  from 
that  side  also,  and  of  course  did  not  expect  to  find  their  re- 
treat cut  off.  It  must,  however,  be  remembered  that  Skobe- 
leff’s  infantry  marched  on  an  average  about  fifty  miles  a day  ; 
and  Strukoff  had  covered  nearly  the  same  distance,  two  days 
earlier,  with  the  Moscow  dragoons. 

In  the  course  of  our  day’s  halt  for  rest  all  the  strag- 
glers returned  to  the  ranks  ; there  was  scarcely  a single  case 
of  sickness.  Skobeleff  was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  ordered 
np  the  Jews  to  the  bridge,  for  in  the  Russian  army  the 
bands  are  mostly  composed  of  Jews.  All  were  well  fed  for 
there  was  an  abundance  of  provisions.  Some  of  us,  like 
Dukmassoff  for  instance,  a Cossack  of  the  Don  and  one  of 
Skobeleffs  orderly  officers,  celebrated  the  capture  of  the 
bridge  with  much  festivity,  he  was  so  overcome  that  he  had 
to  be  carried  to  bed. 

Occasionally  misunderstandings  occurred.  The  hostess  of 
the  restaurant  and  station-hotel  complained  that  her  geese 
had  vanished.  I lost  a beautiful  Circassian  scimitar,  for  which 
I should  have  been  consoled  had  I thought  its  services  would 
be  enlisted  against  the  enemy,  but  I fear  it  was  sold  for  a 
few  roubles  to  some  commissariat  official.  I had  to  borrow 
a sabre  from  H.  It  was  far  from  being  as  sharp  as  mine, 
which  had  additional  value  in  my  eyes,  from  the  fact  that 
my  dead  brother  Serge  had  used  it,  and  cut  open  a few  Turk- 
ish heads  with  it  whilst  I was  laid  up  wounded.  The  room 
in  which  I had  placed  my  things,  with  the  intention  of  sleep- 
ing there,  was  subsequently  occupied  by  General  D.,  and  my 
cloak  and  sabre  were  carried  off  and  so  carefully  put  away 
that  I had  great  difficulty  in  finding  the  former,  but  the  sabre 
never  turned  up  again  ; probably  some  officer’s  servant  took 
a fancy  to  it. 

The  following  day  Strukoff  marched  out  early,  leaving 


128 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Skobeleff  behind  ; having  promised  to  accompany  Strukoff,  I 
went  with  him.  Soon  we  descried  the  little  town  of  Ger- 
manli  on  the  heights.  A squadron  or  two  of  dragoons  had 
been  dispatched  to  this  town  the  night  before,  but  had  been 
very  badly  received  by  the  Bashi-bazouks,  and  had  in  return 
treated  them  with  little  ceremony. 

The  important  news  was  brought  us  that  Turkish  emis- 
saries from  Constantinople  had  arrived  at  Germanli  to  open 
peace  negotiations  ; and  that  they  wanted  a safe-conduct  to 
headquarters.  Strukoff  at  once  informed  Skobeleff  of  this 
and  asked  him  to  send  up  some  infantry  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, delaying  his  reply  to  the  emissaries,  until  the  infantry 
arrived.  It  was  well  that  the  infantry  were  not  slow  in  com- 
ing, for  our  dragoons  were  getting  it  rather  hot,  as  the  town 
was  full  of  the  enemy,  among  whom  there  were  a large  num- 
ber of  rediffs  from  Suleyman’s  army,  which  Gourko  had 
routed. 

* 

* ^ 

When  we  arrived  the  engagement  was  nearly  over,  and 
soon  the  enemy  retired.  We  were  at  once  led  to  the  railv/ay 
station,  where  we  found,  huddled  up  in  their  carriages,  the 
worthy  Turkish  emissaries,  Namik  and  Server  Pashas,  who 
had  probably  spent  anything  but  a pleasant  night  amidst  the 
yelling  and  shooting  that  was  going  on.  The  locomotive 
of  their  train  was  adorned  with  a white  flag.  Namik  Pasha 
was  an  old  friend  of  the  Russians,  for  he  had  been  to  see 
us  in  the  days  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas.  He  was  not 
only  an  accomplished  diplomat,  but,  as  Minister  of  the 
Household,  one  of  the  intimate  associates  of  the  Sultan.  The 
other,  who  was  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  was  a compara- 
tively young  and  evidently  nervous  man.  Namik,  a thin, 
dried-up  old  man,  with  a sharp  nose,  and  eyes  whose  fire  had 
gone  out,  a painted  beard  and  most  dignified  deportment, 
wore  a long,  loose  Turkish  coat,  and  the  inevitable  fez. 
Server  had  a broad  and  animated  face  and  a slight  cast  in 
his  eye  ; he  was  dressed  in  a worn-out  sort  of  home-made 
black  ulster,  and  had  on  india-rubber  galoshes.  He  kept 
jumping  up  and  plunging  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  or  walk- 
ing up  and  down  the  saloon  carriage.  Now  and  again  he 
stopped  short  and  fixed  his  eyes  on  us,  moving  his  jaws 
nervously  ; he  gave  constant  evidence  of  excitement. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF. 


129 


The  arrival  of  a Russian  general  was  announced  and  we 
w^re  asked  into  the  saloon.  Strukoff  represented  himseff  as 
commanding  the  vanguard  of  the  division,  and  introduced 
me  as  his  secretary.  We  w^ere  both  in  coarse  gray  Cossack 
overcoats,  and  must  have  appeared  savage  enough,  in  spite 
of  our  PTench,  in  which  language  the  conversation  was  con- 
ducted. Strukoff,  with  great  tact,  complimented  the  pashas 
on  the  courage  of  the  Turkish  troops,  without  saying 
a word  of  our  victories.  Besides,  he  gave  expression  to  a 
perfectly  just  idea,  when  he  told  them  that  the  more  wx 
were  brought  in  personal  contact  with  individual  Turks,  the 
more  we  respected  their  characters.  Namik  Pasha,  that  clever 
old  man,  easily  led  the  conversation  on  to  the  battle  of  Shen- 
ovo,  which  had  been  so  decisive  for  the  Turkish  army,  and 
when  Strukoff  told  them  that  I was  present  at  it,  turned  to 
me  with  his  questions.  But  Server  Pasha  could  no  longer  re- 
strain his  impatience,  and  asked  me  : “ Now  frankly,  honestl^q 
is  it  really  true  that  Weyssel  Pasha  could  not  have  held 
out  ? ” 

“I  can  assure  you,  Pasha,”  I replied,  “ that  he  could  not,” 
and  I took  out  my  note-book  and  drew  himi  a plan  of  the 
village  of  Shenovo,  and  of  the  positions  of  Weyssel,  Ra- 
detzky,  Skobeleff  and  Mirsky.  I showed  them  how  the  two 
latter  had  turned  the  enemy’s  flank,  attacked  them,  and 
compelled  them  to  lay  dowm  their  arms.  i This  sketch  is  still 
in  my  note-book.)  A sort  of  groan  involuntarily  broke 
from  Server  Pasha,  and  he  turned  away  to  hide  his  tears. 


The  emissaries  manifested  a strong  desire  to  continue,  as 
quickly  as  possible,  their  journey  to  headquarters.  ‘‘  The 
train  by  which  we  have  arrived,  you  will,  of  course,  at  once 
send  back?”  said  Namik  Pasha. 

“ I must  first  ask  for  instructions  from  my  command- 
ing ofiicer.  General  Skobeleff,”  Strukoff  replied. 

‘‘  What  do  you  want  instructions  for  ? The  train  arrived 
and  is  now  under  a flag  of  truce,  and  cannot,  and  must  not 
be  used  for  military  purposes.” 

“ I shall  await  my  instructions,”  was  the  only  answer. 
“But  I entreat  you,”  implored  the  Pasha,  “we  are  ex- 
pecting the  arrival  of  another  train  every  moment,  with  pres- 
ents of  horses  and  carriages  for  the  commander-in-chief  from 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


1 30’ 

His  Majesty  the  Sultan,  surely  you  are  not  going  to  detain 
that  also  ? ” 

“ I must  ask  for  instructions.” 

I whispered  to  Strugoff  that,  as  the  train  was  indeed  pro- 
tected by  a flag  of  truce,  we  had  no  right  to  detain  it.  “ We 
don’t  want  the  carriages — we  have  some  already — but  we 
have  no  locomotive,”  he  answered  in  a rapid  whisper.  “ For 
a time,  at  least,  I must  detain  them,  till  we  are  told  what  to 
do.”  These  last  words  he  pronounced  aloud,  assuring  his 
auditors  that  after  the  receipt  of  instructions,  he  would  not 
detain  the  train  a minute.  Alas  ! Skobeleff  sent  word  to  say 
that  the  trains  were  not  to  be  allowed  to  return  on  any  con- 
sideration, and  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  subsequently 
carried  our  troops  most  excellently.  But  the  pashas  knew 
nothing  of  this,  for  by  that  time  they  had  already  left  for 
headquarters,  which  were  at  Kazanlik.  In  the  evening  I 
called  on  them  again,  to  warn  them  to  keep  a sharp  look-out, 
as  there  were  plenty  of  marauders  about,  Bulgarians  as  well 
Bashi-bazouks.  On  the  following  day  we  rode  out  to  see 
them  off.  The  pashas  were  in  a closed  carriage,  to  which 
we  rode  up  to  take  leave  of  them,  and  to  wish  them  a good 
journey  and  success  in  their  negotiations.  Let  us  hope,” 
said  Strukoff,  ‘‘  that  your  journey  will  result  in  a speedy 
peace,”  and  he  shook  hands  with  them  in  reply  to  their 
friendly  but  sad  farewell.  ‘-And  do  not  forget,”  he  con- 
tinued, “ that  we  have  a eommon  enemy  ; I mean  the  one 
that  led  you  with  false  hopes  into  your  present  difficulties, 
and  then  left  you  to  your  fate.” 

That  is  true,”  Server  replied,  the  tears  again  coming  to 
his  eyes. 

The  pashas  drove  off  between  two  rows  of  soldiers  drawn 
up  in  lines  and  spared  from  our  very  small  force,  who  shouted 
out  songs  at  the  top  of  their  voiees,  with  a whistled 
accompaniment.  Poor  pashas  ! Skalon  afterward  told 
me  that  when  the  news  arrived  of  the  taking  of  Adrianople, 
in  spite  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  the  pashas  were  im- 
mediately informed  of  it.  These  worthy  people  had  fre- 
quently during  their  negotiations  insisted  on  the  faet  that 
Adrianople  had  not  yet  been  taken,  and  would  not  be  easily 
taken,  so  it  was  decided  to  lose  no  time  in  letting  them  know 
of  it.  ‘^We  were  on  the  best  of  terms  with  them,  and  when 
they  were  awakened  in  the  night,  they  were  very  much  aston- 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF.  1 3 


ished,  and  asked  what  was  the  matter.”  “ We  have  come 
to  announce  to  you  the  fall  of  Adrianople,”  was  the  answer. 
They  nearly  wept— poor  pashas  ! 

❖ ❖ 


GENERAL  STRUKOFF. 


I had  a good  deal  to  do.  Strukoff  received  the  command 
of  a small  detachment,  which  constituted  the  vanguard  of 
Skobeleffs  main  body.  As  this  appointment  was  made 
unofficially  by  Skobeleff  himself,  there  was  no  officer  of  the 
general  staff  told  off  to  him,  and  so  my  friend  asked  me  to 
do  all  sorts  of  things,  and  I became  his  volunteer  chief  of 
the  staff.  I collected  information  and  news  from  the  natives, 


132 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


and  reported  to  Strnkoff.  Our  principal  scout  was  a Bulga- 
rian, Khristo  by  name,  who  had  enormous  mustaches  like  a 
tomcat,  was  very  fat,  and  handsome  ; he  wore  a jacket 
covered  with  lace  and  embroidery,  enormously  wide  trowsers, 
and  a gigantic  sword,  which  had  unfortunately  never  seen 
the  enemy.  He  had  formerly  served  as  kavass,  or  guard-inter- 
preter, to  General  Ignatieff  at  the  Russian  embassy  in  Con- 
stantinople, and  had  subsequently,  during  the  war,  been 
attached  to  headquarters,  and  had  now  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  accompany  Strukoff  as  his  interpreter.  We  learned  that 
the  army  of  Suleyman  Pasha,  having  been  beaten  by  Gourko, 
and  finding  it  impossible  to  reach  Adrianople  by  railway, 
had  taken  to  the  mountains  and  was  retreating,  without 
halting,  in  small  parties  of  five,  ten,  and  twenty  men,  and  was 
completely  demoralized.  Had  the  energetic  Suleyman  suc- 
ceeded in  throwing  himself  into  Germanli  with  the  30,000 
men  that  he  must  have  had  at  least,  before  our  arrival,  and 
had  he  had  time  to  get  to  Adrianople  after  destroying  the 
bridge  at  Tirnovo-Semyonli,  Mustapha-Pashaand  other  places 
of  minor  importance,  our  progress  to  Constantinople  would 
have  resembled  a little  less  a m^ilitary  promenade  than  it  did. 
Here  I cannot  help  saying  that  Strukoff’s  services,  his 
remarkable,  energetic  and  rapid  descent,  and  his  exemplary 
cavalry  raid,  have  not  received  the  recognition  with  us  that, 
in  my  opinion,  they  deserve.  I have,  for  instance,  myself 
heard  from  officers  of  Gourko’s  army,  that  it  was  an  easy 
matter  for  Strukoff  and  Skobeleff  to  march  on  in  triumph 
when  all  serious  opposition  had  already  been  broken  down. 
But  they  completely  forgot  that,  in  the  first  place,  all  serious 
opposition  was  anticipated  and  prevented,  and  in  the  second, 
that  Strukoff  pushed  on  nearly  to  the  walls  of  Constantinople, 
with  only  three  incomplete  regiments  of  cavalry  and  one 
battery,  and  that  along  the  whole  of  his  route  he  was  con- 
tinually pestered  by  Turkish  infantry.  Now,  when  it  is  all 
over,  I cannot  help  reflecting  with  amusement  on  how  our 
triumphal  progress  might  have  turned  out,  if  we  had  run 
against  one  or  two  battalions  of  rediffs  ! 

However,  while  awaiting  Skobeleff ’s  arrival,  we  found 
excellent  accommodation  at  Germanli,  plenty  of  wood  and 
provisions,  and  our  table  was  always  excellent,  that  is  to  say, 
our  soup  was  always  good  and  hot — what  could  one  want 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  1 33 


I was  requested  by  Strukoff  to  undertake  two  duties  ; to 
keep  the  men  from  pillaging,  and  to  disarm  the  inhabitants 
as  we  passed  along.  Unfortunately  one  of  our  dragoons  had 
the  luck  to  find  500  Turkish  gold  pieces,  and  as  soon  as 
this  became  known  many  others  were  seized  with  a desire 
to  follow  his  example.  Although  we  were  stationed  out- 
side the  town,  the  men  slipped  away  into  the  houses  on 
all  sorts  of  pretexts,  and  looked  for,  and  even  demanded 
money.  They  pulled  the  feathers  out  of  the  feather-beds 
and  pillows,  and  broke  into  a few  wine  cellars.  Many  com- 
plaints were  reported,  but  the  commanding  officers  rather 
shut  their  eyes  to  these  offences,  and  did  not  punish  them 
severely.  I then  went  about  the  streets,  and  must  confess 
that  I soon  got  thoroughly  tired  out.  I used  to  drop  into  a 
house  by  chance  and  find  a lot  of  our  men  prying  about  in 
the  corners,  inspecting,  and  rummaging  amidst  the  terrorized 
occupants.  “ What  are  you  here  for  ? ” “ We  have  been 

sent  to  look  for  quarters,  your  honor ! ” At  first  I believed 
this,  but  on  discovering  that  it  was  all  nonsense  and  only  a 
pretext  for  getting  hold  of  money  and  valuables,  I drove 
them  out  without  ceremony. 

That  they  should  carry  things  off,  and  drink  what  they 
:ould  find,  was  not  surprising,  but  some  of  them  destroyed 
things  from  mere  wantonness.  On  one  occasion  I remember 
seeing  a crowd  of  fellows  standing  at  the  door  of  a vault.  1 
came  up,  and  found  it  was  a vinegar  cellar.  The  vinegar 
had  been  set  free  from  a few  barrels  and  w^as  running  all 
over  the  floor,  and  had  flooded  the  cellar  to  a depth  of  about 
a quarcer  of  a yard.  In  the  centre  of  this  lake  stood  a 
soldier  bare-footed,  his  trousers  rolled  up,  holding  in  his  hand 
a plug  which  he  had  pulled  out  of  the  last  barrel,  from  which 
the  vinegar  was  spouting  in  a torrent.  ‘‘  What  are  you 
doing  that  for  ? ” “ Just  to  see  how  it  runs  ! ” 

Guided  by  the  complaints  of  the  inhabitants,  I went  into 
different  quarters  of  the  town,  and  stopped  disorders  of  all 
kinds.  Sometimes  even  I heard  the  screams  of  women  and 
children.  I boxed  the  men’s  ears,  knocked  their  heads 
together,  and  drove  them  out,  only  to  find  that  the  same  kind 
of  thing  had  commenced  somewhere  else. 

The  persons  of  the  women  were,  however,  respected.  In 
a sort  of  open  square  I came  upon  some  fifty  or  sixty  Turk- 
ish women,  old  and  young,  huddled  up  together  like  chickens 


134 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


with  their  heads  close  to  each  other,  evidently  praying. 
Strukolf  ordered  them  to  be  placed  in  a separate  building 
by  themselves,  and  had  them  protected  by  sentries. 

As  regards  my  other  duty,  disarming  the  natives,  that 
went  along  swimmingly,  with  less  trouble  than  I had  ex- 
pected. Dreading  the  responsibility  of  carrying  arms,  the 
inhabitants  brought  me  their  weapons  with  reasonable  hon- 
esty. And  what  extraordinary  weapons  they  were  ! Arab 
guns,  with  long,  thin  bits  of  metal,  and  purely  Turkish  ones 
inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl  and  ivory,  pistols,  scimitars,  and 
yataghans.  I made  a collection  of  the  most  interesting  of 
these  as  material  for  new  pictures,  and  some  I destined  for 
Strukoff,  who  had  promised  his  friends  to  bring  them  some- 
thing of  interest  from  the  war.  But  alas ! I lost  these 
things  as  easily  as  I got  them.  The  cart  on  which  our 
trophies  were  packed  was  robbed  at  the  next  station  in  the 
night,  and  so  thoroughly,  that  within  the  cart  not  a particle 
of  its  contents  could  be  found.  It  was  evident  that  some 
one  else  wanted  them  more  badly  than  we  did.  The  Cossack 
in  charge,  who  had  carelessly  dropped  his  gun,  was  shot 
through  the  body. 

* 

Skobeleff  having  received  and  sent  on  the  emissaries  of 
the  Sultan,  now  arrived  at  Germanli.  It  was  clear  that  he 
was  tormented  by  the  desire  of  finally  crushing  the  remnants 
of  Suleyman’s  army,  or  in  other  words,  completing  what  had 
been  left  undone  by  Gourko,  who,  having  beaten  Suleyman 
in  a few  engagements  was  driving  him  before  him.  But 
Skobeleff  deceived  himself,  inasmuch  as  Gourko  had  prac- 
tically already  defeated  Suleyman,  much  more  thoroughly 
than  we  had  supposed,  and  the  remnants  of  his  army,  as  we 
had  already  been  informed,  hearing  that  we  had  cut  off  their 
retreat  at  Germanli,  had  fled  to  the  mountains  in  small  sec- 
tions, and  were  quite  demoralized. 

Skobeleff  was  seriously  thinking  of  marching  to  Khaskioy, 
to  meet  Suleyman. 

“Strukoff  tells  me  you  are  going  with  him,  Vassili  Vas- 
silievitch  ? ” he  said. 

“ Yes,  I am,”  I replied. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF. 


135 


“You  had  better  come  with  me,”  he  said  ; “you  know 
Suleyman  is  upon  us.” 

“ I assure  you  that  you  are  mistaken.  Suleyman  has 
taken  to  the  mountains.” 

“ Well,  now,  fancy  disputing  with  me,  when  I assure  you 
that  I have  most  reliable  information.  Panyoutin  tells  me 
that  he  has  already  had  several  outpost  skirmishes  with  bat- 
talions of  Turks.” 

I was  somewhat  disconcerted  at  such  detailed  informa- 
tion, but  nevertheless  replied  that  I would  go  on  with 
Strukoff. 

“ Well,  do  as  you  please,”  said  Skobeleff,  but  he  evi- 
dently disliked  my  refusing  to  join  him.  I did  not  know 
then  to  how  great  an  extent  I was  right,  and  how  greatly 
Skobeleff  had  erred.  He  here  committed  one  of  the  great- 
est mistakes  a general  can  make,  and  mistook  a crowd  of 
Turkish  emigrants,  with  their  carts  and  luggage, — wTom 
Suleyman  in  his  fury  had  ordered  to  leave  their  homes  and 
escape  to  Constantinople, — for  regular  troops  and  had  at- 
tacked them.  This  mistake  was  brought  about  as  much  by 
Skobeleff’s  jealousy  of  Gourko  as  by  the  fact  that  these 
enormous  caravans  of  Turkish  families  were  escorted  by  the 
male  population,  the  brothers,  etc.,  and  these,  seeing  them- 
selves threatened  by  the  enemy,  very  naturally  formed  into 
columns  to  defend  their  womankind.  These  columns  were 
the  battalions  of  Turks  that  Panyoutin  and  the  Cossack 
commanders  had  reported  to  the  general,  and  upon  which  he 
marched. 

I was  with  Skobeleff  when  the  colonel  of  a Cossack 
regiment  reported  to  him  that  the  enemy  was  “ advancing.” 

“ Ail  right,”  said  Skobeleff;  “ receive  the  attack  ! ” 

“ We  have  already  some  killed  and  wounded,  and  thirty 
horses  have  been  shot.” 

“ All  right.  Wait  till  you  have  lost  three  hundred.” 

The  colonel  went  away  with  his  hand  to  his  cap,  but  I 
could  see  it  trembled.  Practical  Cossacks  hate  losing  men 
and  horses.  I remember  Kouharenko,  who  commanded  a 
Cossack  regiment,  giving  me  his  reasons  for  this.  He  was 
complaining  to  me  at  Plevna  of  the  light-heartedness  with 
which  Skobeleff  sacrificed  his  men.  “ Why,  when  I get  back 
home  with  my  regiment,  the  wives  of  the  dead  men  will 
make  me  reponsible  for  their  husbands.  They  will  ask  me 


136 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


what  I have  done-  with  them,  and  will  reproach  me  for  not 
having  taken  better  care  of  them.  Yet  Skobeleff  tells  us  to 
keep  our  column  formation,  and  does  not  allow  us  to  form 
into  extended  order.  ‘‘  Impress,”  he  says,  “ impress  the 
enemy  ! What  is  the  good  of  impressing  the  enemy,  if  your 
men  are  mown  down  ? ” 

On  the  road  to  Khaskioy  the  engagement  began.  After  a 
fierce  exchange  of  volleys,  the  cavalry  and  infantry  charged, 
cheering.  Here  a most  shameful  scene  ensued,  which  Skobe- 
leff arrived  too  late  to  prevent.  The  gallant  Panyoutin  did 
not  clearly  distinguish  whom  he  had  engaged,  and  the 
enormous  wagon-loads  were  charged  with  the  bayonet.  For 
a distance  of  some  miles  the  road  was  covered  with  killed 
and  wounded,  not  so  much  men,  but  principally  women  and 
children.  Our  fellows  threw  the  people  down  from  their 
wagons,  and  plundered  their  luggage  and  money,  and  when 
Skobeleff  arrived  he  was  horrified  at  the  mistake  he  had 
made.  His  general  orders  to  his  division  after  this  “action” 
were,  of  course,  the  sternest  he  had  ever  given.  But  it  is 
perhaps  as  well  not  to  dwell  upon  this  incident. 

Skobeleff  came  out  to  see  us  off  on  our  way  to  Adrian- 
ople.  Taking  me  a little  on  one  side,  he  said  : “ Vassili 
Vassilievitch,  see  that  Strukoff  pushes  on.” 

“ Don’t  be  afraid,”  I answered  ; “ we  won’t  waste  any 
time.”  sj. 

^ He 

And  here  I may  say  that  I have  never  met  an  officer  more 
attentive  to  discipline  than  Strukoff.  He  was  the  type  of 
what  an  exemplary,  methodical  cavalry  officer  ought  to  be. 
He  had  a small  head  and  thin  face,  so  that  his  skin  seemed 
to  cover  nothing  but  bone  and  muscle.  He  looked,  in  the 
words  of  one  of  his  friends,  who  wanted  to  pay  him  a com- 
pliment, like  a thoroughbred  Arab  steed.  He  had  enormous 
mustaches,  which  he  was  continually  nervously  pulling, 
although  he  had  the  most  perfect  self-control,  and  scarcely 
ever  lost  his  equable  temper,  which  is  of  great  importance  in 
a commanding  officer.  In  the  army  he  was  laughed  at  for 
being  always  everywhere,  and  for  pushing  himself.  The  wits 
used  to  say,  “Wherever  you  spit  there  is  Strukoff.”  But 
this  witticism  lost  much  of  its  point,  from  a saying  of  the 
retreating  Turks,  that  wherever  they  retreated,  there  was 
Strukoff  with  his  cavalry. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  I 37 


I was  completely  astonished  at  the  energy  and  agility  of 
this  man,  who  looked  as  though  it  was  as  much  as  he  could 
do,  to  keep  his  soul  and  body  together.  He  used  to  rise 
very  early  in  the  morning,  and  always  made  his  own  bed. 
He  drank  no  wine  and  did  not  smoke,  and  looked  after  his 
men  and  his  horses  as  though  they  were  his  children.  At 
night  he  would  jump  out  of  bed  to  receive  the  reports  that 
were  brought  in,  personally,  and  he  would  always  have  a 
kind  word  for  the  officer  who  brought  them,  and  for  the 
private,  a tip  from  his  own  pocket.  I can  even  now  see  in 
my  mind’s  eye,  my  dear  and  gallant  comrade,  wrapped  in  a 
cavalry  cloak,  his  hood  on  his  head,  mounted  on  his  lean 
English  horse — he  had  two  English  thoroughbreds  during 
the  campaign — his  profile,  in  the  dim  light  of  a cold  morning 
between  the  hours  of  four  and  five,  bends  down  a little,  the 
hood  drops  lower  and  lower,  and  at  last  bumps  against  his 
horse’s  mane.  Sometimes  T could  not  restrain  myself,  but 
burst  out  laughing  at  this  process  of  going  to  sleep.  He 
would  then  suddenly  open  his  sleepy  eyes  and  ask, 
“ What  ? — what  has  happened  ? Oh  ! ” And  he  would  go 
to  sleep  again. 

❖ 

Our  advance  guard  consisted  of  a little  less  than  three 
cavalry  regiments;  the  Moscow  dragoons,  the  St.  Petersburg 
Uhlans,  and  an  incomplete  regiment  of  Don  Cossacks,  wuth 
only  one  battery  of  horse  artillery  which  was  always  getting 
stuck  in  the  mud,  and  considerably  impeded  our  movements, 
but  which  gave  us  authority  and  prestige. 

The  dragoons  were  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Y., 
as  charming  and  genial  an  officer  as  one  could  wish  to 
imagine,  who  moved  his  portly  figure  on  his  magnificent 
ambling  white  charger,  as  comfortably  as  though  he  were  in 
his  arm-chair  ; and  he  loved  his  charger  better  than  his  own 
soul.  Y.  was  much  older  than  Skobeleff,  who  had  served  as 
a cornet  in  the  squadron  which  Y.  commanded.  Now  Y.  had 
got  a regiment,  but  his  former  cornet  commanded  the  van- 
guard of  the  entire  army.  Their  relations  remained  as 
friendly  as  ever,  and  Y.  would  have  done  anything  for  Skobe- 
leff, except  part  with  his  ambling  charger.  Skobeleff,  who 
had  a weakness  for  white  horses,  soon  noticed  his  magnifi- 
cent animal,  and  approached  Y.  diplomatically  through  the 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


138 

intermediary  of  Strukoff.  “ Skobeleff  tells  me  you  could  do 
him  a great  favor.”  Indeed  ! Whatever  is  in  my  power  I 
shall  be  delighted  to  do  for  him.”  “ Your  white  charger  ” 
. . . On  no  consideration  whatever.  It  is  not  worth 

your  while  to  talk  about  it.” 

The  Uhlans  were  under  B.,  who,  I was  told,  had  once 
been  a dashing  officer  and  brilliant  man  of  the  world,  but 
who  was  now  a melancholy,  soured,  languid  man,  who  dis- 
trusted every  one.  The  recent  and  dramatic  death  of  his 
beautiful  wife  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  war,  was,  they 
said,  the  cause  of  his  strange  transformation.  Y.  generally 
kept  us  company,  that  is  Strukoff  and  me,  but  B.  was  more 
frequently  alone  or  with  some  of  his  own  officers. 

L.  commanded  the  Don  Cossacks,  and,  although  an  aide- 
de-camp  of  the  Emperor,  resembled  most  Cossack  commanders 
in  the  care  of  his  horses.  He  was  very  smart  at  foraging, 
and  understood  discipline  according  to  his  own  peculiar 
lights,  for  his  men  were  continually  implicated  in  some 
marauding  scrape,  and  even  in  open  robberies,  but  this  did 
not  prevent  them  from  being  capital  scouts. 

The  commander  of  the  battery  I don’t  recall  well  to  my 
mind.  He  was  an  officer  of  a venerable  age,  who  served  his 
country  honorably  in  the  present  instance  and  in  the  absence 
of  more  warlike  duties  by  dragging  his  guns  from  morning  to 
night  out  of  terrific  quagmires. 

Besides  these  V.,  a charming,  broad-shouldered  officer  of 
dragoons,  used  frequently  to  come  from  his  regiment  to  write 
general  orders  for  Strukoff,  and  sometimes  reports  to  his 
Imperial  Highness,  the  commander-in-chief,  from  my  dicta- 
tion. And  finally,  to  complete  this  description  of  the  staff  of 
our  flying  column,  the  Bulgarian,  Khristo,  whom  I have 
already  referred  to,  should  not  be  omitted.  He  was  one  of 
those  mustached  and  gilded  kavasses  in  whom  all  Eastern 
embassies  and  consulates  revel.  Those  wonderful  mustaches 
and  magnificent  gold  lacings  secured  him  the  awe  and 
reverence  of  all  he  approached  during  the  whole  period  of 
the  campaign,  and  of  course  a portion  of  this  respect  w^as 
also  reflected  on  us,  and  shed  splendor  and  magnificence  on 
the  entire  force  which  had  in  its  midst  so  great  and  brilliant 
a luminary. 

We  had  scarcely  arrived  at  Mustapha-Pasha,  after  a suc- 
cessful day’s  march  with  only  one  halt,  and  had  gotten  off 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  1 39 


horses  when  Strukoff  was  informed  that  emissaries  from 
Adrianople  wanted  to  see  him.  He  ordered  them  to  be 
brought  to  him  at  once.  They  turned  out  to  be  a Greek  and 
a Bulgarian,  who  represented  the  population  of  their  respect- 
ive nationalities,  and  who  invited  us  to  come  and  occupy 
the  town.  The  Turks,  on  hearing  of  an  approach,  had  left, 
and  had  blown  up  the  Imperial  castle  on  the  outskirts,  which 
had  served  as  an  arsenal.  (The  explosion  had  been  heard 
even  by  us,  I subsequently  learned  that  many  beautiful 
memorials  of  ancient  art  had  perished  with  this  castle,  among 
which  was  a celebrated  hall,  whose  walls  were  tiled  with 
blue  crockeries.)  They  told  us  that  Circassians  were  loafing 
about  the  neighborhood  and  causing  great  apprehension  lest 
they  should  break  into  the  town  and  sack  it.  As  to  the  mag- 
nificent line  of  forts  that  defended  the  town,  and  which  had 
cost  the  Turks  such  enormous  sums,  they  had  been  deserted 
because  they  were  not  quite  ready,  and  there  was  not  a 
sufficient  number  of  men  for  their  defence. 

Strukoff  called  a council  of  war  composed  of  his  regimental 
commanders  and  myself.  He  explained  in  a few  words 
the  state  of  affairs.  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  afraid  of  being  marauded,  would  be 
glad  of  our  arrival,  and  we  could  take  advantage  of  the 
panic  and  easily  capture  the  town.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
we  had  no  infantry,  and  the  approach  of  one  or  two,  and 
especially  a larger  number  of  tabors  or  battalions  of  Turks, 
would  place  us  in  a very  critical  position,  and  might  jeopard- 
ize our  guns.  The  Bulgarians  had  informed  us  that  an 
Egyptian  prince  had  just  marched  past  the  town  with  a 
well-equipped  body  of  African  negro  infantry  of  about  2,000 
men.  Besides  this,  the  remnants  of  Suleyman’s  army  were 
on  the  march  to  Constantinople,  and  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood in  fairly  large  numbers,  though  in  small  detachments. 
Having  explained  all  this,  Strukoff  asked  the  opinion  of  his 
officers.  Being  the  junior  in  rank  it  was  for  me  to  speak 
first,  and  I advised  advancing.  Y.  did  not  see  his  way 
give  a decisive  opinion,  but  seemed  also  to  favor  of  an 
advance.  But  B.  was  most  decidedly  opposed  to  anything  of 
the  sort.  “ It  is  all  very  fine  for  those  who  have  no  respon- 
sibility to  say  we  should  advance,  but  what  would  we  do  if 
we  should  be  attacked  in  the  town  ? If  we  came  upon 
infantry  ? And  if,  after  having  occupied  the  town  we  should 


140 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


be  suddenly  compelled  to  evacuate  it  again  ? It  is  absolutely 
imperative  that  we  should  wait  for  General  S'kobeleff/’  The 
Cossack  colonel  did  not  give  an  opinion,  but  I still  main- 
tained that  we  ought  to  advance.  Strukoff  did  not  express 
his  views  either  one  way  or  the  other,  and  the  council  was 
dissolved  without  our  having  accomplished  anything. 

Soon  another  messenger  arrived  from  Adrianople,  another 
Greek,  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  apparently  under  the  influence 
of  liquor.  He  informed  us  that  he  had  been  sent  by  the  new 
governor  of  the  town  to  ask  the  Russians  to  invest  it. 
“What  new  governor?”  asked  Strukoff. 

“ Well,  when  the  military  governor  blew  up  the  castle  and 
went  away  with  his  garrison,  the  Sultan  appointed  Mr.  Fass 
to  be  governor.  What  more  do  you  want  ? ” 

This  emissary  of  the  governor  behaved  so  insolently 
that  I asked  permission  of  Strukoff  to  talk  to  him  a little 
more  severely.  Strukoff  granted  it,  and  so  I gave  my  Cos- 
sack whip  the  swing  of  my  arm,  and  sent  it  down  on  the 
blackguard’s  shoulder.  He  was  taken  completely  by  surprise, 
and  for  the  first  time  stood  quietly  and  assumed  an  attitude 
of  respect.  “ How  dare  you  talk  to  a general  like  that,  eh  ? 
Go  and  tell  your  new  governor  that  the  General  does  not 
recognize  him,  and  that  he  will  come  himself  and  appoint  a 
governor  of  his  own.  And  now  be  off  ! ” 

“How  very  severe  of  you,”  said  Strukoff  and  the  officers. 

“ It  does  not  pay  to  speak  in  any  other  language  to  such 
cutthroats,”  I replied. 

The  next  morning  when  I woke  up  I found  Strukoff  sit- 
ting on  my  bed.  He  had  apparently  been  up  some  time.  “ I 
have  decided,”  he  said,  “ to  advance  on  the  town.”  “Bravo  ! ” 
The  emissaries  had  not  yet  departed,  and  so  the  General 
ordered  them  ahead  with  the  news  of  our  advance,  and  taking 
them  aside,  he  demanded  the  villain  ! that  they  should 
bring  him  in  token  of  submission  the  keys  of  the  town,  which 
he  woiiid  have  to  forward  to  the  commander-in-chief.  “ But 
there  are  no  keys  !”  they  exclaimed  in  dismay.  “Then  let 
keys  be  found.  Not  another  word  ! ” was  the  General’s 
stern  decision.  They  started  off,  but  the  insolent  Greek  re- 
mained, he  was  afraid  of  being  waylaid  and  killed  if  he 
travelled  by  day,  and  so  determined  to  wait  until  our  departure 
— apparently  his  courage  was  an  abstract  quantity. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF.  141 


The  day  we  arrived  before  Adrianople  was  fine  and 
sunny.  We  were  met  by  several  people  on  horseback, 
among  whom  were  two  Armenians,  the  brothers  Abdulla,  a 
well-known  firm  of  photographers  to  the  Sultan  at  Adrianople 
and  Constantinople.  In  front  of  the  town  itself,  a dense 
crowd  was  moving  about,  whose  animation  increased  as  we 
drew  nearer.  At  last  they  could  restrain  themselves  no 
longer  and  ran  towards  us  to  meet  us.  Their  enthusiasm 
knew  no  bounds  and  cannot  be  described.  With  shouts  and 
groans  they  threw  themselves  on  their  knees  before  us,  kissed 
the  ground,  and,  crossing  themselves,  they  kissed  not  only 
our  hands,  but  our  knees,  boots  and  stirrups,  as  though  we 
were  holy  images.  It  was  impossible  to  prevent  them,  and 
we  had  to  submit  to  it.  The  figure  of  Y.  was  exceedingly 
comical,  with  his  beaming  countenance,  and  his  hands  out- 
stretched to  be  kissed,  like  a Madonna’s,  and  literally  covered 
with  the  tears  of  the  enchanted  crowd.  Strukoff  was  nearly 
torn  to  pieces  ; if  it  had  not  been  for  the  height  of  his  English 
horse  he  would  probably  have  suffered  much. 

❖ * 

We  were  informed  that  the  clergy  were  coming  to  meet 
us  with  crosses  and  banners,  and  we  were  just  preparing  to 
enter  the  streets  of  Adrianople  when  I stopped  Strukoff,  and 
said  : ‘Mt  is  simply  foolhard)^  for  us  to  enter  the  town.” 

‘‘Why  so?”  “ Look  at  those  narrow  streets.  Every  shout 
of  a coward,  every  chance  shot  would  produce  a panic.  We 
are  perhaps  not  quite  so  badly  off,  but  our  guns  would  le 
entirely  useless,  they  could  not  even  be  turned  around  ! ” 

“ But  then  what  shall  we  do  ? ” 

“ Do  not  let  us  enter  the  town.  Let  us  keep  outside 
somewhere.” 

“ Impossible  ; the  clergy  have  turned  out  to  meet  us.” 

“ Let  them  come,  in  God’s  name  ; they  can  always  go  back 
again.” 

Strukoff  hesitated.  But  where  shall  we  halt  ? ” he 
asked.  I looked  round.  “ On  that  hill  to  the  left  ; let  us 
wheel  round  and  go  there.”  Strukoff  was  still  in  doubt,  but 
felt  that  there  was  no  choice  of  plans,  and  so,  “ one,  two, 
three.”  and  we  turned  off  sharply  to  the  left  and  rode  up  a 
steep  hill,  followed  by  our  men  and  the  crowd.  When  we 
arrived  at  the  summit  our  breath  was  taken  with  astonish- 


142 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


ment.  We  could  not  have  selected  a better  spot.  The 
position  was  an  ideal  one.  The  top  of  the  hill  was  a flat 
plain,  and  commanded  the  whole  town  which  was  spread 
out  before  us  as  though  we  held  it  in  the  palm  of  our  hands. 
Our  position  here  was  not  only  practically  impregnable,  but 
we  could  threaten  the  town  with  our  battery. 

We  had  scarcely  gotten  to  the  top  and  looked  round  when 
we  saw  a great  procession  of  the  representatives  of  various 
churches  and  religions  approaching  us  from  the  Bulgarian 
quarter  of  the  town.  The  Greek  Metropolitan  (Dionysius) 
was  at  the  head,  and  was  followed  by  the  Armenian  Arch- 
bishop, the  Bulgarian  priest,  the  Jewish  rabbis,  and  the 
Turkish  mollahs,  followed  by  a tremendous  rabble.  The 
entire  plain  was  covered  with  people  ; I think  there  must 
have  been  about  thirty  or  forty  thousand.  This  mass  sur- 
rounded and  hemmed  us  in  to  such  an  extent  that  while  we 
were  dismounting  I was  separated  from  Strukoff.  Soon  I 
heard  him  shouting,  “Vassili  Vassilievitch,  come  here 
quickly.”  He  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  by  the  kindly  aid 
of  the  crowd  I pushed  my  way  to  his  side.  We  embraced 
the  crosses,  and  kissed  the  plump,  soft  hand  of  the  Metro- 
politan, who  was  evidently  highly  pleased  at  such  a token  of 
respect. 

And  now  the  7iew  gover7ior^  referred  to  before,  jumped  up 
on  a sort  of  bench  to  address  us.  He  was  a fat  Greek,  with 
the  star  of  the  Mejidich  on  his  breast.  In  high-flown  French 
he  made  us  a speech  of  welcome,  and  did  not  forget  to 
mention  that  he  had  been  appointed  to  maintain  order,  and  to 
finish  his  speech  with  “ Vive  la  Russie  ! ” and  a cheer  which 
was  taken  up  by  the  multitude.  He  then  handed  Strukoff  the 
keys  of  the  town  on  a salver  (three  in  number  and  very  large 
in  size).  I afterwards  inquired  where  these  keys  had  been 
obtained,  and  was  informed  that  they  had  been  bought  at  the 
bazaar.  Attached  to  a ring,  two  bunches  of  small  keys  had 
been  added  to  these  three  enormous  one.  It  may  be  as  well 
here  to  record  the  ultimate  fate  of  these  keys.  The  biggest 
of  all  I took  to  crack  nuts  with,  which  were  very  common 
and  very  cheap  and  exceedingly  good  eating.  The  other  two 
were  sent  off  to  the  commander-in-chief,  who  dispatched 
them  to  St.  Petersburg,  where  they  are  probably  hanging  in 
the  cathedral.  Before  their  dispatch  Strukoff  begged  me  to 
give  him  the  third  and  most  imposing  of  them,  but  I stuck 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  I43 


to  it,  and  1 have  it  now  in  my  studio,  where  it  hangs  beside 
Skobeleft’s  flag. 

But  to  return  to  Adrianople.  I advised  Strukoff  to 
inform  the  self-elected  governor  that  he  did  not  recognize 
his  authority,  and  that  he  would  take  the  government  of  the 
town  into  his  own  hands  until  the  arrival  of  his  commanding 
officer.  This  Strukoff  did,  and  much  disconcerted  the  Greek, 
who,  however,  promptly  recovered  his  presence  of  mind, 
thanked  the  General  and  again  cheered  the  Russians.  I then 
spoke  my  mind  to  the  General  and  he  repeated  my  v/ords  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  to  the  people,  telling  them  how  we 
intended  to  provide  for  our  men  whilst  maintaining  the  invio- 
lability of  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants.  “ Let,”  said  the 
General,  “every  nationality  elect  two  representatives,  and  let 
a council  of  these  representatives,  presided  over  by  the  Greek 
Metropolitan,  be  intrusted  with  the  duty  of  providing  our 
men  and  horses  with  food  and  forage.  On  that  condition, 
and  that  condition  alone,  will  we  refrain  from  making 
requisitions  and  keep  our  men  outside  the  town.  But  if  we 
are  not  supplied  with  all  that  is  necessary,  they  will  them- 
selves go  and  get  what  they  want.  All  that  you  bring  us 
will  be  paid  for  at  headquarters.”  All  were  evidently 
delighted  at  this  decision,  and  were  relieved  of  their  fear  of 
having  to  quarter  our  soldiers,  a fear  perfectly  justifiable. 
The  Greek,  Fass,  and  the  whole  crowd  with  him,  again 
cheered  us  and  the  Tzar  Alexander,  and  this  time  they  must 
have  been  perfectly  sincere,  for  they  shouted  so  loudly  that 
the  noise  was  deafening. 

When  the  clergy  had  departed,  we  started  for  the  church 
of  the  Bulgarian  quarter,  which  was  of  course  crammed  full 
of  people.  The  service  began  with  the  most  frightful  Greek 
singing,  in  complete  contrast  to  the  usually  harmonious  choral 
services  of  our  own  churches.  I had  heard  this  before,  but 
had  never  experienced  anything  more  depressing  than  this 
whining,  and,  although  it  was  exceedingly  stupid,  I was  con- 
vulsed with  a spasm  of  laughter  which  I had  very  great 
difficulty  in  concealing.  It  happened  that  Strukoff  stood 
beside  me,  and  his  laconic,  “ What  a singing — Eh  ! ” nearly 
set  me  off.  He  probably  lost  his  patience,  for  when  the 
priests  had  finished  the  short  service  and  were  preparing  to 
celebrate  mass,  he  sent  Khristo  to  tell  them  that  he  had  no 


144 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


time  to  wait  and  to  bid  them  finish  quickly.  The  prospect 
was  by  no  means  pleasant ; they  were  only  about  to  begin. 

Having  embraced  the  cross  we  left  the  church,  mounted 
our  horses,  and  rode  back  to  the  hill.  Here  Strukoff  drew 
his  men  up  in  a square,  inspected  them,  thanked  them  for 
their  services  and  congratulated  them  on  investing  the 
second  capital  of  Turkey,  the  famous  town  of  Adrianople. 

* 

^ * 

The  men  bivouacked,  and  we  occupied  a corner  house  on 
the  plain.  We  soon  received  news  to  the  effect  that  Circas- 
sians were  plundering  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  town. 
Strukoff  gave  me  half  a squadron  of  dragoons  and  told  me 
to  ride  through  the  streets  with  them  and  to  calm  the 
populace  and  find  out  at  the  same  time  how  much  truth 
there  was  in  the  rumor.  I pounced  upon  an  old  Bul- 
garian or  Greek,  I forget  which,  who  spoke  excellent  Turkish 
and  fairly  good  Russian,  and  made  him  proclaim  in  a loud 
voice  as  we  rode  along,  that  the  people  need  fear  nothing,  as 
we  were  strong  enough  to  defend  them.  The  noise  of  our 
horses’  hoofs  on  the  paved  streets  nearly  caused  a panic  at 
first,  but  on  becoming  convinced  that  we  were  their  deliverers, 
the  women  in  the  houses  stretched  out  their  arms  weeping, 
and  those  who  were  in  the  streets  nearly  threw  themselves 
under  our  horses’  feet  crying  : ‘‘  We  are  being  robbed  ! we  are 
being  robbed  ! ” “ Where  and  by  whom  are  you  robbed  ? ” 

“Over  there,  by  the  Circassians  ! ” I could  not  believe  that 
such  a panic  could  be  without  foundation,  and  rode  all  over 
the  town,  even  to  the  very  spot  where  the  reported  marauding 
was  supposed  to  be  taking  place,  but  could  find  no  trace  of 
anything  of  the  sort.  Everywhere  I found  perfect  peace  and 
tranquillity,  and  everywhere  I was  assured  that  the  Circassians 
were  further  on,  plundering.  What  a strange  thing  is  a 
panic  ! 

The  regimental  commanders  were  very  much  displeased 
that  the  provision  of  food  and  forage  had  been  intrusted  to 
the  natives.  As  I was  the  cause  of  this  arrangement,  their 
wrath  fell  principally  upon  me.  Besides  which  I amazed 
them  still  more  by  bringing  before  Strukoff  a few  dragons 
whom  I had  caught  marauding  in  the  Bulgarian  houses  of 
the  neighborhood.  The  General  had  them  flogged  as  an  ex- 
ample to  the  others  in  front  of  their  regiment,  and  the  punish- 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  I45 


merit  was  severe.  I thought  even  the  amiable  Y.,  was  angry 
with  me,  and  that  when  I left  Strukoff’s  room.,  he  went  in 
and  frightened  him  with  the  prospect  of  our  not  getting  any 
food  for  horses  and  men.  I saw  that  Strukoff  worried  and 
regretted  having  allowed  me  to  take  such  humane  measures. 
As  evening  approached  we  kept  sending  messengers  into  the 
town  to  tell  them  to  hurry  up.  We  invariably  received  the 
same  answer:  ‘‘All  will  be  sent.”  But  nothing  came.  It 
was  clear  that  nothing  but  the  dread  of  offending  the  general 
prevented  the  officers  from  swearing  at  me  to  my  face  ; but 
what  was  worse  I felt  myself  really  guilty.  At  last,  when  it 
was  dusk,  enormous  hampers  arrived  full  of  everything,  abso- 
lutely everything  that  the  heart  could  wish.  There  was  bread, 
soup,  meat,  wine  ; even  the  tobacco  was  not  forgotten — there 
was  a large  hamper  full  of  delicious  Turkish  tobacco.  Every 
one  brightened  up.  Only  one  thing  was  wanted.  There  was 
not  enough  hay  for  the  horses  ; they  had  to  be  fed  on  oats 
and  barley. 

This  system  of  making  the  population  supply  the  provi- 
sions many  did  not  consider  practical.  Nevertheless  I still 
firmly  believe  it  was  the  one  best  suited  to  the  circumstances. 
If  the  general  had  let  his  men  go  off  into  the  houses  to  get 
the  various  articles  of  food  required,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  this  wealthy  town  would  have  been  picked  as  dry  as  a 
bone.  It  was  indeed  fortunate  that  the  cool-headed  Strukoff 
did  not  allow  himself  to  be  dissuaded  from  his  original 
arrangement.  The  consequence  was  that  no  robberies  were 
committed,  and  that  we  maintained  the  best  relations  with 
the  townsfolk.  When  the  main  body  of  the  army  came  up, 
all  this  was  changed,  disorders  commenced,  and  one  or  two 
of  our  men  were  even  murdered  by  the  people. 

❖ 

❖ Hi 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  the  Austrian  consul 
called  on  us  in  full  uniform,  attended  by  our  old  friend  the 
Greek,  Fass.  This  last  gentleman  was.  taken  into  another 
room  and  asked  to  wait,  as  we  had  no  intention  of  having 
official  relations  with  him  of  any  kind  ; but  the  Austrian 
consul  was  at  once  received  by  Strukoff.  He  plunged 
immediately  into  the  business  that  had  brought  him,  and  told 
us  in  French  that  we  had  deposed  the  only  authority  there 
was  at  Adrianople,  and  that  by  so  doing  we  had  imperilled 


146 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


public  order,  for  a riot  was  fomenting.  Strukoff  was  at  first 
rather  confused  at  this  accusation,  and  seemed  to  think  that 
if  a revolt  was  really  brewing  the  situation  was  decidedly 
awkward.  He  was  apparently  hesitating,  and  began  to  say 
that  as  far  as  he  was  concerned  he  had  nothing  against  the 
Greek.  But  here  I interposed  : Your  Excellency,”  I said, 

‘‘  will  you  allow  me  to  answer  the  consul  in  your  name  ? ” 
Strukoff  assented,  and  so  I turned  to  the  consul  and  said  : 
The  general  is  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Consul-General, 
for  your  advice,  which  he  accepts  as  the  advice  of  a sincere 
friend.  As  Mr.  Fass  has  already  been  told,  the  general  will 
himself  watch  over  the  town  until  the  arrival  of  General 
Skobeleff,  on  whom  all  further  arrangements  will  depend. 
As  to  the  revolt  which  you  dread.  General  Strukoff  assures 
you  that  the  whole  thing  is  an  invention.  He  will  undertake 
to  maintain  order,  and  will  cut  down  any  one  who  proves 
unmanageable.  Once  more  allow  me  to  thank  you  for  your 
kindness  in  warning  us.”  According  to  the  custom  of  diplo- 
matists to  put  a good  face  on  a bad  game,  the  consul 
appeared  to  be  much  pleased  with  the  result  of  his  visit,  and 
having  come  for  wool  went  back  shorn.  Strukoff  and  Y. 
thanked  me  warmly  for  getting  rid  of  him.  “ Frankly,”  said 
Strukoff,  his  prophecy  of  a revolt  rather  frightened  me.” 

* ^ 

Strukoff  sent  me  to  inspect  the  storehouses  of  the  town. 
Everyv/here  I found  pillaging  going  on.  All  who  could  were 
carrying  off  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  in  arm- 
fuls and  in  carts.  I cleared  out  the  thieves  and  locked  the 
doors,  notwithstanding  the  assurances  of  the  Turks  that  they 
were  gtiarding  the  places.  I placed  sentries  over  these  stores, 
but  cannot  guarantee  that  they  kept  their  hands  clean  when 
my  back  was  turned. 

The  storehouses,  however,  were  so  large  and  numerous 
that  it  was  impossible  to  inspect  them  all,  still  less  to  go  over 
every  one  carefully  in  so  short  a time.  We  afterward  dis- 
covered that  in  one  of  these  storehouses  there  was  a splendid 
collection  of  bamboos  for  javelin  shafts,  which  the  com- 
mander-in-chief presented  to  the  regiment  of  Uhlans  of  the 
Guard.  Strukoff,  who  was  himself  an  Uhlan,  regretted  that 
he  did  not  make  the  present,  and  reproached  me  in  a friendly 
manner  for  having  overlooked  these  javelins. 


r 


!• 


i 


! 


I*' 


I 


i 


148 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  149 


Beside  the  storehouses  I inspected  a large  number  of 
mosques,  among  which  one,  the  chief  mosque,  was  most 
beautiful  and  magnificent. 

I had  only  just  returned  from  this  inspection  when  a fire 
broke  out  in  our  camp.  The  Cossacks,  who  had  plenty  of 
dry  wood,  had  lighted  an  enormous  fire  in  their  kitchen,  and 
it  was  consequently  not  surprising  that  the  house  was  in 
flames.  Fortunately  only  one  house  was  burned  ; the  others 
were  some  distance  off  and  escaped. 

* 

Strukoff  discovered  that  the  pj'otege  of  the  Austrian 
consul,  the  Greek  Fass,  who  had  set  his  heart  on  being  made 
governor,  was  plotting  against  us  and  trying  to  create  dis- 
turbances and  riots.  The  general  wanted  to  arrest  him,  but 
on  reflection  thought  it  better  to  let  him  off  with  a reprimand. 
So  I rode  out  early  in  the  morning,  accompanied  by  a few 
dragoons,  and  surrounded  the  Greek’s  house.  I entered  and 
saw  frightened  faces  behind  every  door  and  crevice.  The 
master  came  out  pale  and  trembling  and  looking  like  a 
corpse.  He  evidently  expected,  judging  from  Turkish  prece- 
dent, that  his  last  hour  had  come.  I had  to  call  up  all  the 
diplomacy  I was  possessed  of,  and  ask  after  his  health,  the 
number  of  his  children,  etc.  I then  turned  the  conversation 
on  the  absolute  necessity  of  his  holding  himself  aloof  from  all 
intrigues,  which  might  bring  him  into  serious  trouble,  and  in 
conclusion  told  him  that  the  general  had  commissioned  me 
to  make  this  communication,  and  to  convey  to  him  the  gen- 
eral’s hope  that  there  would  be  no  necessity  to  resort  to 
extreme  measures.  Fass  was  nearly  beside  himself  with  joy, 
and  gaving  a sort  of  jump,  assured  me  of  his  devotion,  his 
wish  to  be  useful,  etc.,  etc. 

* 

He  He 

Two  Albanians  were  brought  before  Strukoff,  most  des- 
perate robbers  by  the  accounts  of  the  Bulgarians,  who  had 
cut  children  out  of  their  mothers’  wombs  and  committed  other 
atrocities.  The  general  ordered  them  to  be  bound  together 
firmly,  and  so  the  dragoons  put  the  fellows  back  to  back  and 
pulled  out  and  tied  up  their  elbows  so  tightly  that  they 
became  quite  black  in  the  face.  Thrown  on  the  ground,  they 
glared  like  a couple  of  tigers  at  the  Bulgarian  crowd  which 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


150 

surged  around  them,  mainly  composed  of  women  and  chil- 
dren who  abused  them,  spat  into  their  eyes  and  threw  lumps 
of  earth  and  dirt  at  them.  The  dragoon  who  was  placed  on 
guard  over  them  did  not,  of  course,  interfere,  but  permitted 
them  to  be  kicked  and  cuffed  to  the  heart’s  content  of  the 
mob. 

I asked  Strukoff  to  have  them  hung,  but  he  would  not 
allow  it.  He  told  me  he  did  not  like  fusillading  and  hanging 
in  time  of  war,  and  would  not  have  these  two  fellows  on  his 
conscience,  but  would  hand  them  over  to  Skobeleff,  who 
could  do  with  them  as  he  liked. 

“That  is  all  right,”  I answered.  “ I will  ask  him  ; there 
will  be  no  delays  with  him  ! ” 

“ What  makes  you  so  bloodthirsty  ? I did  not  know  that 
was  a trait  in  your  character.” 

I was  obliged  to  confess  that  I had  never  seen  a man 
hung,  and  was  much  interested  in  the  process. 

When  I went  to  look  at  the  two  Albanians  the  next  day 
I felt  sorry  for  them  ; it  would  have  been  more  merciful  to 
have  hung  them.  They  were  lying  on  the  ground  swollen 
out  and  quite  blue  from  being  bound  up,  and  were  shouting, 
“ Aman  ! Aman  ! ” Their  turbans  and  fezzes  had  been 
knocked  off  their  heads,  and  their  faces  were  battered  and 
bloodstained  by  the  stones  and  chumps  that  the  throng  kept 
continually  throwing  at  them.  The  sentry  marched  dispas- 
sionately up  and  down  without  spoiling  the  sport. 

Skobeleff  arrived  in  the  evening.  We  went  to  meet  him 
at  the  railway  station,  and  he  was  subsequently  escorted 
to  our  headquarters  by  a cavalry  guard  of  honor.  On  the 
way  the  entire  population  turned  out  to  meet  the  gallant 
general,  and  a scene  ensued  similar  to  that  which  took  place 
on  our  own  arrival,  only  it  was  perhaps  not  quite  so  enthusi- 
astic, for  such  scenes  do  not  repeat  themselves  as  a rule.  The 
windows  were  studded  with  Greek  women,  who  kept  peeping 
out  as  we  passed,  and  some  of  whom  were  remarkably  beau- 
tiful. I rode  behind  Skobeleff,  and  kept  giving  him  the 
word  of  command.  “ Eyes  right ! Eyes  left  ! Hold  your 
head  higher  ! ” An  ardent  admirer  of  female  beauty,  Sko- 
beleff kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  pretty  faces,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  women  on  their  part  looked  after  him  with 
special  interest. 

Suddenly  our  old  friend  Fass  turned  up  again.  He  was 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  151 

riding  behind  the  general  to  show  the  people  that  he  was  in 
our  good  graces.  He  v/as  at  once  requested  to  take  himself 
off ; but  instead  he  rode  on  to  the  front,  shouting  right  and 
left,  Bow  to  the  general,  welcome  the  general  ! ” He  was 
ordered  to  clear  off  altogether,  and  then  at  last  he  disap- 
peared. 

I asked  Skobeleff  to  hang  the  two  robbers  referred  to 
above,  and  he  answered,  “ Very  well.”  He  called  the  colonel 
of  a battalion  of  rifles  and  bade  him  hold  a court-martial 
over  the  fellows,  adding,  ‘‘  And  please  be  so  good  as  to 
have  them  hung.”  “ All  right,  your  excellency  ! ” was  the 
reply,  and  I considered  the  business  settled,  thinking  I 
should  yet  see  an  execution  before  leaving  Adrianople,  and 
be  able  to  put  it  on  canvas.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  Shortly 
before  our  departure  I found  my  two  friends  still  in  same 
unenviable  position,  and  inquired  whether  they  were  not 
going  to  be  hung,  but  received  in  reply  the  monosyllable 
No.”  Having  heard  that  a court-martial  had  been  called, 
Strukoff  had  begged  Skobeleff  not  to  kill  the  malefactors,  for 
his  sake,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  even  now  these  two 
knights  of  industry  are  hale  and  hearty,  full  of  gratitude 
for  the  clemency  of  the  Russian  generals  and  still  disem- 
bowelling Christians.  I have  painted  them  bound  up. 

❖ 

* * 

Toward  night,  on  the  third  day  of  our  sojourn  at  Adrian- 
ople, we  marched  out  on  the  road  to  Constantinople  It  was 
so  dark  that  our  division  was  broken  up,  and  we  lost  track  of 
the  cavalry  in  the  van.  This  would  have  been  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  the  enemy,  either  to  cut  us  to  pieces  or  to  take 
us  prisoners,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  Circassians  who  were 
hovering  about  would  have  done  so,  had  they  not  degener- 
ated from  mountain  panthers  to  jackals,  good  for  nothing  but 
plundering.  We  called  a halt  in  the  middle  of  the  road  near 
some  small  hovels. 

Our  next  halting  place  was  at  Havsa,  which  we  reached 
on  the  following  day.  Here  we  found  a prison  and  the  most 
complete  apparatus  for  torturing  and  chaining  up  criminals. 
1 made  a small  collection  of  these  Turkish  toys,  comprising 
irons  for  the  neck,  hands  and  feet,  of  very  respectable  weight, 
and  a still  heavier  chain  with  which  convicts,  chiefly  Bulgari- 
ans, v/ere  fastened  when  they  were  sent  to  Adrianople  in  irons. 


152 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


Here  a few  Bulgarians  came  up  to  us  from  a neighboring 
farm,  and  told  us  that  some  Turks  had  passed  the  previous 
night  at  their  house,  and  had  held  a perfect  orgy  and 
outraged  the  women.  Strukoff  gave  me  Khristoand  sent  me 
with  a small  body  of  Uhlans  to  punish  the  miscreants  if 
possible.  When  we  arrived  at  the  farm,  which  was  about 
three  miles  off,  at  full  gallop,  we  were  shown  the  retreating 
figures  of  three  Turks  who  were  running  to  the  mountains  as 
fast  as  their  feet  could  carry  them.  Khristo,  seized  with 
martial  ardor,  asked  permission  to  pursue  them  with  the  aid 
of  an  Uhlan,  but  this  was  absurd,  as  they  had  already  the 
advantage  of  over  a mile,  and  could  easily  either  get  away  or 
hide  themselves  from  their  pursuers  ; so  I preferred  returning 
without  carrying  off  the  victory.  But  Khristo  could  not 
sheathe  his  sword  without  giving  an  outlet  to  his  valor,  and 
so  he  cut  off  the  head  of  a goose  that  belonged  to  the  farm. 
This  decapitated  savior  of  Rome,  along  with  the  other  mem- 
bers of  his  flock,  and  some  pickled  cabbage  and  curds  and 
whey,  we  carried  off  with  us.  They  reminded  us  a little  that 
day  at  dinner  of  our  distant  native  land.  The  women  who 
had  been  molested  by  the  Turks  were  pointed  out  to  me. 
“You  have  been  ill-treated?”  I asked.  “Yes,”  they  re- 
plied, blushing,  and  hid  their  heads  in  their  aprons.  It  was 
clear  that  further  particulars  were  not  to  be  gained  from 
them. 

❖ ❖ 

On  the  road  from  Havsa  the  people  had  deserted  their 
homes  and  sought  refufie  in  the  forests  and  underwood  in 
the  neighborhood.  At  first  we  mistook  them  in  the  dis- 
tance for  the  Turkish  marauders,  and  they  themselves  did 
not  apparently  feel  quite  safe  in  leaving  their  encamp- 
ments to  meet  us,  not  being  quite  certain  that  we  were 
really  the  orthodox  Christian  Russian  army  of  the  advance 
of  which  they  had  heard.  But  when  they  had  once  made  up 
their  minds  on  this  point,  they  gave  vent  to  their  joy  most 
unmistakably,  and  threw  themselves  on  their  knees  before 
us,  kissing  the  hems  of  our  garments  when  they  could  get  a 
chance,  weeping  and  shouting,  “ Long  live  the  Tsar  Alex- 
ander ! ” They  all  complained  of  the  treatment  they  had 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  army  as  well  as  from 
the  Turkish  population,  who  had  emigrated  to  a man  to  Con- 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF. 


153 


stantinople.  Before  leaving  they  had  robbed  the  Bulgari- 
ans of  all  they  could  carry  with  them,  and  had  seized,  with 
the  aid  of  the  Turkish  authorities,  not  only  the  clothes  and 
domestic  furniture  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  but  even 
the  horses,  cattle  and  carts.  We  were  told  that  these  emi- 
grants had  only  just  departed,  and  that  they  were  still  within 
marching  distance,  and  they  implored  us  to  overtake  them 
and  wrest  from  them  at  least  some  of  the  stolen  property. 

As  we  approached  Baba-Eski  the  evidences  of  robbery 
and  violence  grew  more  and  more  marked.  We  could  hear 
sobs  and  lamentations,  and  it  was  clear  that  the  pillaging  had 
taken  place  quite  recently.  On  entering  the  place  our  eyes 
were  greeted  by  the  sight  of  the  Bulgarian  priest,  a man  of 
advanced  years,  lying  under  a fence  with  his  throat  cut. 
The  neighbors  told  us  that  the  miscreants  had  insisted  on 
the  old  man  confessing  where  he  had  hidden  his  money,  and 
when  he  had  sworn  that  he  had  no  money  they  had  killed 
him.  Here  and  there  the  sound  of  women’s  voices  reached 
us  from  the  houses.  The  Turks  had  left  only  the  night 
before,  and  were  believed  to  be  still  close  by. 

Here,  as  at  Havsa,  we  made  a halt.  Strukoff  advanced 
steadily,  stopping  nowhere  and  resting  only  every  third  day. 
We  used  to  march  out  very  early,  while  it  was  still  dark,  halt 
to  rest  and  have  dinner,  and  then  march  on  until  nightfall, 
when  we  slept.  The  following  day  we  did  the  same,  and  on 
the  third  we  rested  for  twenty-four  hours.  The  general  paid 
special  attention  to  the  horses,  which  were  fresh  and  strong 
and  in  good  condition  ; as  for  the  men,  that  goes  without 
saying  ; they  were  all  as  jolly  as  sand-boys. 

❖ ^ 

Before  reaching  Loulli-Burgas  we  began  to  overtake  the 
hindermost  wagons  of  the  Turkish  fugitives.  Fearing  they 
might  be  searched  and  accused  of  theft,  they  tore  off  the 
Bulgarian  embroidery  and  fancy  work  from  the  goods  they 
had  stolen  and  threw  them  away  ; they  also  threw  away 
their  swords  and  muskets,  having  previously  broken  them. 
Strukoff  ordered  them  to  halt,  for  which  purpose  we  had  to 
send  men  far  in  advance,  as  the  line  of  wagons  extended  to  an 
enormous  length.  Some  of  them  stood  in  front  of  the  bridge 
that  led  into  the  town,  others  were  drawn  up  on  the  road, 
others  again  on  another  road,  and  another  lot  had  crossed 


154 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


the  bridge  and  were  on  their  way  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  ; these  of  course  we  could  not  overtake,  but  had  to  allow 
them  to  escape.  The  number  of  wagons  was  enormous.  I 
remember  that  Strukoff  was  accused  in  the  papers  of  exag- 
gerating the  number  of  emigrants.  In  spite  of  his  request,  I 
declined  to  take  part  in  a newspaper  war  ; but  I may  here 
mention  that  the  fact  of  the  Turks  proceeding  by  different 
roads  refutes  the  attacks  of  the  papers,  and  I may  add  that 
the  statistics  of  the  reports  sent  to  the  commander-in-chief, 
which  I compiled  myself,  were,  of  course  approximately, 
correct. 

As  these  people  did  not  themselves  know  why  they  were 
going  to  Constantinople,  where  nothing  but  ruin  and  starva- 
tion awaited  them,  I asked  the  general  to  allow  those  who 
felt  so  inclined  to  return  whence  they  came,  and  he  agreed  to 
my  proposal.  Taking  Khristo  with  me,  I had  all  the  elder 
of  the  emigrants  called  together,  and  informed  them  that  at 
Rum,*  where  they  were  going,  there  was  already  a famine, 
and  that  they  would  simply  be  ruined  if  they  went  there. 
“ Would  it  not  be  better,  therefore,”  I said,  “ to  return  at 
once.  The  Russian  general,  so  far  from  interfering  with 
your  movements,  is  your  well  wisher  and  advises  _you  to 
adopt  this  course.”  They  had  many  discussions  on  the  sub- 
ject. It  was  clear  that  some  of  them,  who  probably  had  less 
on  their  conscience  than  the  rest,  desired  to  return,  but  to 
others  the  idea  was  repugnant.  They  were  given  leisure  to 
arrive  at  a decision,  and  were  told  to  send  in  their  reply  at  a 
stated  time. 

In  the  mean  time  I rode  around  this  lively  encampment 
of  emigrants  and  ordered  all  arms  to  be  piled  up  in  a heap, 
adding  that  any  concealment  of  weapons  would  be  severely 
punished.  Soon  a perfect  mountain  of  weapons  of  all  descrip- 
tions was  formed,  and  I again  made  a selection  for  myself  of 
a few  particularly  good  specimens,  some  of  them  were  taken 
by  officers,  but  the  rest  were  carried  away  and  put  under 
guard. 

A number  of  the  Turks  decided  to  return  if  we  gave  them 
a convoy  to  protect  them  from  the  vengeance  of  the  Bulga- 
rians. This  was  provided,  and  they  soon  started  off  escorted 


This  is  another  name  for  Constantinople  in  use  among  Mussulmans 
and  Asiatics  generally. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  I 55 


by  a few  Uhlans.  The  Bulgarians  feeling  their  power, 
hovered  about  like  jackals,  and  some  even  had  the  impu- 
dence to  carry  things  off  from  the  Turkish  wagons  under  our 
very  eyes,  assuring  us  that  they  had  been  stolen  from  them. 
I drove  a good  many  away  with  my  Cossack  whip  ; but  as 
a matter  of  fact,  it  was  very  difficult  to  decide  who  were  the 
robbers,  and  who  the  robbed. 

Riding  among  the  crowds  of  Turks  and  their  wagons  I 
noticed  that  many  of  the  women  were  very  good  looking  and 
some  beautiful.  Strukoff  spoke  to  a few  of  these  who  had 
come  to  him  with  petitions,  and  one,  a very  pretty  ycung 
woman,  talked  very  boldly,  and  insisted  strongly  on  the  fact 
that  as  her  husband  was  dead  she  was  free  and  could  now 
do  as  she  liked  ; but  the  good-humored  general  smiled  and 
said,  “ What  a frisky  matron  ! ” 

The  majority  of  the  Turks,  however,  decided  to  go  on, 
and  in  this  they  were  not  hindered.  When  the  wagons 
began  to  move,  I rode  on  to  the  front  to  see  how  order  was 
being  maintained,  and  was  horrified  to  hear  the  shrieks  of 
women.  I galloped  in  the  direction  of  the  cries  to  see  what 
was  the  matter,  when  I discovered  that  some  Cossacks  had 
stopped  a wagon  ; two  of  them  had  jumped  in  and  one  wms 
holding  a woman  wdiile  another  was  searching  her.  The 
moment  they  saw  me  they  released  their  victim  and  disap- 
peared with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  Nevertheless  they  was 
found,  and  on  the  next  day  before  the  entire  force,  which  was 
drawn  up  in  a square,  these  two  fellows  w^ere  severely 
flogged  with  rods  as  an  example  for  all  who  had  eyes  to  see 
to  profit  by.  Strukoff  thanked  me,  but  the  regimental  comi- 
manders,  especially  the  colonel  of  Cossacks,  was  much  dis- 
gusted.  ^ 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  departure  of  the  Turk- 
ish emigrants  I wrote,  at  Strukoff ’s  request,  a report  to  the 
commander-in-chief  in  which  I pointed  out  the  importance 
of  representing  to  the  authorities  at  Constantinople  the 
frightful  privations  their  subjects  had  to  suffer  owing  to  this 
enforced  emigration,  which  was  more  ruinous  to  the  country 
and  the  population  than  the  war  itself,  and  was  only  occa- 
sioned by  the  fanaticism  and  foolishness  of  Suleyman  Pasha. 


156 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


On  our  march  we  had  a false  alarm.  Strukoff,  myself,  and 
a few  others,  by  way  of  avoiding  the  dust  caused  by  the 
Turkish  carts,  were  riding  on  a separate  road  which  followed 
the  river,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  which  was  a long  proces- 
sion of  wagons  and  a crowd  of  ragamuffins.  Suddenly  a 
number  of  these  got  into  boats  and  began  rowing  over  to 
where  we  were.  To  tell  the  truth,  all  of  us,  Strukoff  not 
excepted,  felt  rather  nervous  at  this  circumstance,  for  we 
were  completely  separated  from  our  main  body  and  were 
practically  unarmed  beyond  a revolver  and  a Cossack  car- 
bine or  two.  Of  course  the  thought  of  being  killed  or 
wounded  did  not  frighten  us  so  much  as  the  idea  that  we 
might  be  taken  prisoners,  like  half  a dozen  sheep,  without 
being  able  to  offer  any  material  resistance.  As  it  turned  out, 
these  people  had  peaceful  intentions.  They  were  Bulgarians, 
who  came  over  to  give  us  information  of  the  movements  of 
the  enemy,  and  to  complain  of  the  treatment  they  had  received, 
etc.  We  laughed  very  heartily  at  our  mistake. 


We  were  now  approaching  the  town  of  Tchorlou,  where, 
from  information  received  from  the  natives,  we  expected  to 
find  Turkish  troops.  A young  officer.  Prince  D.,  was  sent  out 
with  half  a squadron  of  dragoons  to  scout.  But  as  he  did  not 
send  messengers  for  some  time,  and  we  were  told  that  the 
Turks  had  infantry  and  guns,  the  general  became  very  uneasy 
about  him.  At  our  last  halting-place  before  reaching  the 
town,  Strukoff  not  having  heard  from  D,,  asked  me  whether  I 
thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  march  straight  on  the  town 
without  waiting  for  news.  I proposed  that  he  should  send  me 
on  in  front  with  a hundred  Cossacks  to  draw  the  enemy’s  fire 
and  send  him  a plan  of  their  position.  Strukoff  at  once  agreed 
to  my  proposal  and  ordered  a captain  of  Cossacks  to  escort 
and  protect  me  with  his  troop.  As  it  turned  out  this  saved 
the  dragoons  ; nor  need  they  have  suffered  any  loss  at  all 
had  it  not  been  for  the  extreme  cunning  and  obstinacy  of  the 
Cossacks.  Having  been  told  to  protect  me  from  the  Turks, 
that  is  to  say,  to  expose  themselves  and  their  horses  to  danger, 
they  were  very  slow  in  carrying  out  their  orders.  I rode  off 
at  a trot,  but  they  followed  me  at  a walk,  I increased  my  pace 
and  sent  one  of  the  two  orderly  Cossacks  I had  with  me  to 
ask  them  to  keep  up  with  me,  but  they  replied  that  their 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  IS7 


horses  were  very  tired,  and  by  way  of  demonstrating  the  fact, 
they  proceeded  to  dismount,  and  led  their  horses  by  the 
bridle,  as  much  as  to  say,  “ there  is  no  need  to  hurry.” 

On  arriving  close  to  Tchorlou  I heard  shots,  the  inter- 
change increasing  in  rapidity.  Apparently  a warm  fight  was 
going  on.  I now  sent  my  last  Cossack  off  to  the  captain  of 
the  troop  to  ask  him  to  bring  his  men  up  at  double  quick,  and 
told  him  that  if  he  disobeyed  the  responsibility  would  be 
on  his  shoulders.  I myself  remained  waiting.  Before  me 
lay  the  river  flowing  in  a deep  valley  and  beyond  it  I could 
see  the  town,  d'he  sound  of  shouting  and  shooting  from 
thence  came  nearer  and  nearer,  at  last  I could  see  emerging 
from  the  hills  first  one  horseman  then  a second  and  a third — 
these  were  our  dragoons  coming  along  at  full  speed  pursued 
by  Turks.  The  blood  rushed  to  my  head.  I rode  to  meet 

them  and  shouted  : “ Stop,  stop  you /’  and  lifted  my 

Cossack  whip  to  strike  one  of  them,  but  on  seeing  his  face  I 
restrained  myself.  “I  am  wounded,”  he  muttered  through 
perfectly  green  lips,  and  galloped  on  not  having  strength  to 
stop  his  horse.  At  this  moment  the  Cossacks  came  up,  and 
the  Turks,  seeing  reinforcements  were  arriving,  stopped  the 
pursuit. 

The  dragoons  had  been  completely  demoralized.  They 
had  gotten  as  far  as  the  higher  bank  of  the  river,  but  as  this 
was  the  first  time  they  had  been  under  fire,  they  were  appar- 
ently quite  unable  to  conquer  their  surprise.  I said  to  D., 
“ Are  you  not  ashamed  of  yourself  for  running  away  like 
that  ? ” But  he  replied  : “ What  could  I do  ? The  men 
were  all  young  and  untried,  and  did  not  obey  orders.”  But  a 
little  later  he  lost  his  temper,  and  turning  round  to  me  said  : 
‘‘  And  what  business  is  it  of  yours  ? ” ‘‘I  am  ashamed  of 

you,  that  is  all  ! ” I answered.  However,  it  was  very  diffi- 
cult for  him  to  do  anything  with  his  untried  men  after  having 
been  surprised  by  the  Turks.  All  he  could  do  was  to  follow 
their  example,  and,  accompanied  by  the  other  officers,  to  hold 
off  the  Turks  with  revolvers. 

The  affair  was  brought  about  in  this  way.  D.  got  safely 
to  Tchorlou,  but  neglected  to  pay  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  Bulgarians  did  not  come  out  to  meet  him,  which,  alone, 
was  a sure  sign  of  the  presence  of  the  enem}^  On  reaching 


158 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


the  river  and  the  valley  along  which  the  permanent  track  of 
the  railway  is  laid,  and  where  there  is  a station,  he  inquired 
whether  there  were  Turks  in  the  town.  The  assistant  station- 
master  replied  : “No,  they  have  all  gone.”  So  D.  ordered 
his  men  to  dismount  and  commenced  inspecting  the  sta- 
tion. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Turks,  of  whom  there  were  about 
two  thousand,  had  really  left  the  town,  and  their  main  body 
was  already  far  away,  but  the  rear  guard  which  consisted  of 
cavalry  of  the  Sultan’s  Life-Guards,  and  who  were  splendidly 
equipped  and  armed  with  the  Peabody  rifle,  had  only  just 
marched  out.  Hearing  that  a small  number  of  “ Muscovites  ” 
had  arrived,  and  that  they  had  most  comfortably  established 
themselves  at  the  railway  station,  about  two  or  three  hundred 
turned  back  and  attacked  our  fellows.  The  dragoons  had 
scarcely  time  to  mount  and  get  to  the  bridge  when  the  Turks 
were  pouring  lead  into  them.  Our  men  replied  with  the 
same,  but  as  they  had  no  more  than  twenty  cartridges  apiece 
they  exhausted  their  ammunition  in  a few  minutes,  and  then, 
seeing  that  the  Turks  were  fording  the  river  to  cut  off  their 
retreat,  they  galloped  off  as  hard  as  they  could,  the  Turks 
following  them,  cutting  down  about  fifteen  men  ; and  if  the 
troop  of  Cossacks  had  not  arrived  all  would  have  been  exter- 
minated. 

We  were  standing  on  the  very  ridge  of  the  hill  which 
flanked  the  valley.  Before  us  an  extremely  picturesque  view 
presented  itself,  bounded  by  the  town  which  was  on  an  oppo- 
site elevation.  Below  was  the  railway,  with  its  station  and 
the  bridge,  across  which  the  enemy  were  languidly  retiring, 
looking  round  with  apparent  regret  at  being  balked  of  their 
prey.  Arrived  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  they  joined 
their  main  body,  and  seemed  to  expect  us  to  come  and  attack 
them.  Knowing  that  Strukoff,  to  whom  I had  dispatched 
the  same  Cossack  who  had  sent  on  the  troop,  would  order 
up  reinforcements,  I proposed  to  the  Cossack  captain  that 
we  should  slowly  descend  the  hill,  and  shouted  to  D.  to  join 
us  in  case  we  wanted  him.  But  D.  cried  to  me,  “ Do  not 
go  ! there  are  too  many  of  them  ; ” and  the  Cossack  captain 
declared  that  he  could  not  undertake  to  lead  his  men,  who 
were  in  such  small  numbers.  Of  course  if  you  order  me  ! ” 
“ I have  no  right  to  order  you,  but  if  you  refuse  the  respon- 
sibility, I will  order  you.  Forward,  easy,  close  up  ! ” We 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  I 59 


leisurely  advanced,  the  dragoons  bringing  up  in  the  rear,  and 
the  Turks  retired  before  us  slowly.  They  were  about  five 
hundred  yards  off,  so  that  we  could  clearly  distinguish  every 
individual  soldier.  They  were  all  in  magnificent  uniforms, 
with  crescents  on  their  caps,  picked  men  evidently,  and 
mounted  on  excellent  hardy  little  horses. 

In  my  report  to  Strukoff  I asked  him  not  only  to  send  us 
reinforcements,  but  to  send  two  other  detachments  by  a 
detour,  which  he  did,  and  so,  as  soon  as  we  had  crossed  the 
bridge,  we  were  joined  by  a squadron  of  Uhlans  coming  up  at 
full  trot  under  the  command  of  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment, 
a charming  officer,  who  was  met  by  a number  of  Greeks  and 
Bulgarians,  and  was,  with  myself  enthusiastically  welcomed  as 
the  deliverer  of  the  town  (at  which  we  laughed  heartily), 
and,  of  course,  our  hands  and  feet  had  to  be  kissed. 

Just  then  the  air  was  rent  by  fearful  shrieks.  We  dis- 
covered that  D.  was  chastising  the  station  master  for  having 
misinformed  him,  and  as  the  punishment  was  executed  by  the 
dragoons  who  had  suffered  from  his  false  news,  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  his  howling  was  perfectly  sincere. 

We  received  orders  from  the  general  not  to  enter  the 
town,  but  to  await  his  arrival.  Strukoff  soon  joined  us,  and 
brought  with  him  Captain  Prince  Vassiltchikoff,  who  had  been 
dispatched  with  the  news  that  the  truce  had  been  signed. 
Our  troops  were  drawn  up,  and  the  Bulgarian  priests  offered 
thanksgivings,  after  which  Prince  Vassiltchikoff  conveyed  to 
the  men  the  gratitude  of  His  Imperial  Highness,  the  coiti- 
mander-in-chief,  for  their  services,  and  informed  them  that  a 
truce  had  been  concluded,  and  that  this  would  probably  be 
shortly  followed  by  peace.  He  and  Strukoff,  who  had  also 
thanked  us  for  our  short  engagement,  were  greeted  with  loud 
cheers. 

We  found  quarters,  and  our  company  was  now  increased 
by  the  addition  of  Prince  Vassiltchikoff,  a very  simple- 
minded,  broad-shouldered  and  agreeable  fellow.  Our  meat 
and  vegetables  were  good,  and  the  cream  and  butter  excel- 
lent, while  the  almonds  and  raisins  were  so  cheap  and  so 
good  that  my  Adrianopolitan  trophy,  the  enormous  key 
which  had  probably  once  turned  the  lock  of  some  warehouse, 
was  in  constant  requisition  for  the  nuts.  My  Cossack,  Kur- 
batoff,  a roguish  fellow  but  not  of  a bad  sort,  who  had 


i6o 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


formerly  served  as  cook,  was  no  longer  allowed  to  make  our 
soups,  although  he  assured  us  that  he  could  do  it  as  well  as 
anybody.  To  him  was  intrusted  the  important  duty  of 
preparing  the  coffee,  of  which  a large  quantity  was  consumed, 
and  which  was  consequently  made  in  a colossal  copper  kettle. 
Whether  the  coffee  was  really  superior,  or  whether  the  vio- 
lent exercise  we  had  taken  had  made  us  particularly  appre- 
ciative, it  is  difficult  to  say,  but  we  all  praised  it  highly,  and 
put  Kurbatoff  in  such  conceit  of  himself  that  he  would  never 
afterward  allow  anyone  to  prepare  coffee  for  us,  and  often 
was  on  the  point  of  fighting  for  the  honor. 

It  is  curious  that  my  Cossack  owed  his  St.  George’s  Cross 
for  valor  to  this  coffee.  Why  don’t  you  recommend  your 
Cossack  for  the  St.  George’s  Cross  ? ” asked  Strukoff.  “ Why 
should  he  be  decorated  ? He  has  never  once  been  under 
fire  with  me,”  I replied.  What  does  that  matter  ? That  is 
clearly  not  his  fault  ! I am  certain  that  if  the  occasion  pre- 
sented itself  he  would  not  desert  you.”  “ That  is  true 
enough,”  I said;  “if  you  like,  recommend  him.”  And  so 
Kurbatoff  decorated  his  manly  bosom  with  the  “order  of 
military  distinction  and  valor.” 

Here  it  is  as  well  to  note  that  soldiers’  crosses  were 
bestowed  with  a remarkable  light-heartedness.  Among  the 
combatants  some  kind  of  justice  obtains,  inasmuch  as  a cer- 
tain number  of  crosses  are  awarded  to  the  men  of  each 
company  after  an  engagement,  and  they  are  allowed  to  elect 
the  actual  recipients.  Of  course,  under  this  system,  the  non- 
commissioned officers  always  get  the  lion’s  share,  still  the 
men  have  some  chance,  and  glaring  partiality  is  avoided. 
But  the  good-for-nothings,  such  as  young  cadets  and  cash- 
iered officers,  invariably  get  decorated  with  one  or  two,  or 
even  three  or  four  (the  fourth  is  in  gold  with  a ribbon)  St. 
George’s  crosses,  even  if  they  only  happened  to  have  been 
present  at  an  engagement.  The  staff  officers’  servants,  and 
the  servants  at  headquarters,  all  people  with  more  or  less 
influence,  always  receive  the  cross,  even  if  they  have  never 
so  much  as  heard  the  whistle  of  a bullet,  and  have  limited 
their  heroic  achievements  to  carrying  their  master’s  luggage 
from  one  baggage  wagon  to  another.  S.  had  a Cossack, 
Parshin  by  name,  who  received  two  crosses,  and  showed  his 
gratitude  by  taking  with  him  to  the  Don,  as  a souvenir,  two 
of  his  master’s  rifles. 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  l6l 


Our  Khristo,  who  already  possessed  one  St.  George’s 
Cross,  but  who  was  animated  by  an  indomitable  desire  to 
hang  several  on  his  breast,  at  last  begged  me  to  say  a good 
word  for  him  to  Strukoff,  and  of  course  enumerated  to  me 
all  his  arguments,  services,  and  claims,  Alas  ! I must  con- 
fess that  I fell  and  promised  to  help,  and  did  indeed  ask 
Strukoff.  At  the  time  of  the  coronation  of  the  Emperor 
in  Moscow  I subsequently  saw  Khristo,  walking  with  the 
solemnity  of  a trained  poodle  behind  the  Prince  of  Bulgaria, 
with  three  crosses  of  St.  George  in  his  button-hole.  I con- 
sole myself  with  the  reflection  that  I was  not  the  only  sinner, 
and  that  he  used  all  his  influence  at  headquarters  to  back  his 
petition  ; and  no  doubt  the  gallant  Khristo  repeated  to  all 
his  other  benefactors  the  story  of  his  bravery. 

❖ 

I suppose  the  Cossacks  were  delighted  at  the  truce,  for 
they  lighted  a trem.endous  fire.  I had  occasion  to  pass  the 
building  in  which  they  were  quartered  and  could  not  help 
saying  to  myself  : “ What  if  there  should  be  a conflagration.” 
I was  not  far  wrong  ; the  entire  house  was  soon  in  flames 
and  I had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting  my  own  horses 
away.  Fortunately  no  one  was  burnt,  although  this  occurred 
at  night,  and  nobody  lost  anything  in  the  flames,  but  the 
large  building  was  entirely  destroyed.  This  was  the  second 
house  that  suffered  by  sheltering  us  and  our  heroes,  the 
officers’  servants.  It  was  late  at  night  when  we  turned  out 
and,  standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  square,  directed 
the  extinction  of  the  flames  and  the  isolation  of  the  house. 
We  afterward  removed  to  the  house  of  a Greek,  where  we 
were  very  well  accommodated. 

Here  we  were  perpetually  besieged  by  the  inhabitants 
with  complaints  of  the  treatment  they  had  received,  not  alone 
from  the  Turks,  but  from  our  men  as  well,  who  persisted 
in  seeking  their  fortune  in  other  people’s  houses.  Once 
Strukoff  and  I went  together  to  catch  the  marauders  at  night, 
for  he  had  lost  all  patience  and  wanted  to  see  for  himself 
whether  these  complaints  were  well  grounded  or  not.  More 
frequently  I went  alone  with  a Cossack,  but  it  was  like  try- 
ing to  catch  a Jack-o’-lantern.  These  seekers  after  hidden 
treasure  were  remarkably  active  fellows,  and  used  to  jump 
over  palings  and  get  onto  roofs  with  the  most  praiseworthy 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


162 

agility.  It  was  at  least  gratifying  to  rout  them  out  and 
frighten  them. 

Strukoff  had  a frightful  amount  of  work  to  do.  In  the 
daytime  I assisted  him  as  much  as  I could,  and  so  did  the 
officer  of  dragoons  of  whom  mention  has  been  made,  and  who 
copied  documents,  but  at  night  I slept  conscientiously,  and 
only  saw  occasionally,  with  one  eye  as  it  were,  how  Strukoff 
received  dispatches  from  the  numerous  small  detachments 
that  had  been  sent  out  in  different  directions.  Here  a railway 
station  had  been  seized  with  an  attack  of  government  corre- 
spondence. There  a band  of  marauding  Circassians  had  been 
caught,  or  a Turkish  flag,  hidden  in  a wagon,  detached 
from  its  flagstaff  that  it  might  be  more  easily  stowed  away, 
had  been  captured,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Like  the  police  official  in 
the  French  play  Les  Charbonniers.”  who  never  gets  to  his 
breakfast,  but  is  continually  pestered  with  new  arrivals, 
Strukoff  could  never  get  a wink  of  sleep.  He  had  scarcely 
read  one  telegram,  and  answered  it,  blown  out  the  candles 
and  laid  down,  before  there  was  a knock  at  his  door  and 
another  one  arrived. 

❖ ❖ 

Skobeleff  arrived  on  the  third  day  by  railway,  at  night.  We 
went  out  to  meet  him,  but  as  he  was  late  we  had  nearly  given 
him  up,  and  were  going  to  return  home  when  he  came.  The 
general  had  shaved  his  head,  which,  truth  to  tell,  did  not 
suit  him  remarkably,  especially  as  his  cap,  having  become  too 
big  for  him,  had  slipped  down  to  his  ears.  Skobeleff  was  in 
perpetual  fear  of  becoming  bald  like  his  father,  and  it  was 
enough  to  tell  him  that  he  was  losing  his  hair  to  make  him 
have  his  head  cropped  like  a convict’s.  In  the  present  instance 
it  is  possible  that  the  “ White  Pasha  ” was  not  above  court- 
ing popularity  with  the  Mussulmans  by  means  of  his  shaven 
crown,  but  the  expression  of  involuntary  surprise  of  all  Rus- 
sians at  the  sight  of  it  did  not  apparently  put  him  in  a good 
humor. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  commander  of  the  vanguard 
of  the  forces,  we  marched  toward  Tchataldja,  where,  accord- 
ing to  the  conditions  of  the  truce,  we  were  to  stay.  These 
were  our  last  marches.  The  officers  and  men  were  delighted 
both  at  the  truce  and  at  the  imminent  prospect  of  peace, 
for  which  their  wives  and  children  in  their  distant  homes  had 
long  been  praying.  However,  the  probable  contingency  of 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  1 63 

an  occupation  ” alarmed  some  of  them  and  tempered  their 
joy. 

What  beautiful  ruins  we  met  with  here  ! On  our  left  was  a 
hill  covered  with  the  remains  of  buildings.  I went  to 
inspect  them,  and  found  myself  surrounded  by  columns  and 
Capitols,  bas-reliefs,  etc.,  of  beautiful  work  of  the  Greco- 
Byzantine  period  and  of  pure  white  marble.  From  the  summit 
of  the  hill  1 beheld  a sea  on  either  side  of  me.  A shepherd 
was  sitting  on  this  hill,  which  was  stuffed  like  a pillow  with 
the  magnificent  relics  of  former  grandeur,  and  was  tending  a 
flock  of  sheep  that  grazed  round  about.  It  was  clear  that 
nobody  took  the  slightest  interest  in  these  marbles.  Un- 
fortunately we  were  quite  as  unsympathetic.  I suggested  to 
Skalon  afterward  that  it  would  be  a good  thing  to  collect 
some  of  the  most  interesting  specimens  of  this  ancient  archi- 
tecture and  send  them  off  to  Russia,  but  he  only  said  : “ We 
can’t  be  bothered  with  them.  How  are  we  to  cart  them 
away  ? ” The  whole  of  this  country  was  covered  with  ves- 
tiges of  antiquity,  of  the  Byzantine  period  of  Greek  art,  and 
nearly  all  the  mosques  have  splendid  specimens  taken  mostly 
from  ruined  churches.  The  bases  of  the  columns  in  the 
mosques  were  invariably  ancient  capitals  taken  from  churches 
and  turned  upside  down  ; they  were  frequently  of  beautiful 
workmanship,  and  always  worn  on  the  side  nearest  the 
entrance,  where  the  shoes  of  the  faithful  had  been  wiped 
against  them. 

At  this  place  we  met  a telegraph  official  from  Constanti- 
nople. He  had  been  sent  to  inspect  the  wires,  on  the  effi- 
ciency of  which  the  quickness  of  the  treaty  negotiations 
largely  depended.  Strukoff  let  him  pass,  although  he  had  no 
regular  passport. 

Silivri  is  a charming  little  place  on  the  very  shores  of  the 
sea.  Not  a single  Greek  or  Bulgarian  came  out  to  meet  us, 
a sure  sign  that  it  was  occupied  by  Turkish  troops,  and  so  it 
turned  out  to  be.  I rode  a long  way  in  front  of  the  main 
body.  In  the  streets  were  crowds  of  people  and  Turkish 
cavalry,  the  very  same  fellows  with  whom  we  had  come  to 
conclusions  at  Tchorlou.  They  all  fixed  their  eyes  upon  me. 


164 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


the  people  with  evident  sympathy,  to  which,  however,  they 
dared  not  give  expression,  and  the  soldiers  fiercely  and  with 
hatred.  I was  taken  to  Ideat  Pasha,  who  commanded  these 
cavalry  outposts. 

Presenting  myself  as  the  secretary  of  the  Russian  gen- 
eral, I explained  that  the  Turkish  troops  must  immediately 
evacuate  the  town,  and  make  room  for  us.  He  replied  that 
he  had  not  as  yet  received  instructions,  that  he  had  sent  off 
inquiries,  and  was  awaiting  a reply,  and  he  added  that  he 
hoped  we  would  allow  him  to  remain  until  his  instructions 
arrived.  “ Perhaps  the  general  will  allow  it,  but  only  for 
a very  short  time.”  Strukoff  himself  soon  arrived,  and  I 
explained  the  situation  to  him.  It  was  so  clear  that  the 
Pasha  was  trying  to  cheat  us,  and  wanted  to  make  the  de 
facto  boundary  between  us  Silivri  instead  of  Tchataldja,  that 
Strukoff  insisted  on  his  clearing  out  at  once.  “ But  is  there 
not  room  for  both  of  us  ? You  could  occupy  one  part  of  the 
town,  and  I the  other.”  “ That  would  not  do,”  said  Strukoff 
who  was  beginning  to  lose  patience  and  repeated  his  demand. 
“ But  your  secretary  has  already  given  us  permission  to  await 
a reply.”  No,”  said  Strukoff;  “ he  only  spoke  of  giving  you 
a short  period  of  grace.”  But  we  cannot  possibly  march 
out  without  receiving  instructions.”  ‘‘Then  we  shall  clear 
you  out,”  was  Strukoff’s  grim  rejoinder.  “ Will  your  excel- 
lency order  up  the  guns  ?”  I asked.  “ Let  us  wait  a little,” 
said  Strukoff ; “ perhaps  he  will  go  away  of  himself.”  Hav- 
ing ordered  our  men  not  to  occupy  the  whole  town,  so  as  to 
avoid  coming  in  contact  with  the  Turks,  the  general  waited 
a minute  or  two,  during  which  time  we  drank  a cup  of  coffee, 
but  as  we  got  no  answer,  and  saw  no  signs  of  evacuation,  the 
Turkish  troops  still  standing  about  the  streets  and  glaring  at 
our  own,  we  asked  again  whether  they  would  clear  out  or  not. 
“Until  they  received  a reply  from  Constantinople  they  could 
not,”  was  the  answer.  Strukoff  went  out  into  the  hall,  and, 
in  a voice  that  would  have  done  honor  to  a much  bigger 
chest  than  his,  shouted  : “ Bring  up  the  guns  ! ” Several 
men  ran  off,  shouting:  “The  guns!  the  guns!”  Ideat 
suddenly  changed  his  demeanor  and  became  extremely  fussy. 
“ We  shall  receive  an  answer  at  once,”  he  said,  “at  once.” 
“ Not  another  word,”  said  Strukoff.  “We  have  received  an 
answer.  We  will  evacuate  at  once.”  The  Turks  actually 
got  on  their  horses  and  left,  and  we  took  possession  of  their 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  1 65 


headquarters,  which  they  had  left  in  a filthy  state  and  full  of 
vermin.  In  the  evening  Ideat  turned  up  again,  in  the  most 
cheerful  frame  of  mind;  evidently  he  was  desirous  of  assuring 
us  that  we  could  well  live  side  by  side  without  quarrelling. 
He  gave  me  a most  friendly  slap  on  the  back  with  the  famil- 
iarity of  an  old  friend,  to  which  I replied  by  a vigorous 
thump  across  his  shoulders  in  an  equally  friendly  spirit,  know- 
ing that  in  the  East  external  ceremonies,  especially  between 
people,  are  more  strictly  adhered  to  and  have  more  import- 
ance than  anywhere  else. 

Strukoff  turned  a deaf  ear  to  all  further  Turkish  dodges. 
The  pasha  informed  us  that  he  had  received  orders  from 
Constantinople  to  evacuate  the  town,  but  not  to  retire  any 
further,  also  asserting  that,  owing  to  new  conditions  made 
with  our  headquarters  staff,  we  were  not  to  go  beyond  Silivri. 
“ I know  the  arrangements  of  my  headquarters  staff  better 
than  you  do,  and  if  I shall  go  on  and  if  you  do  not  retire 
before  me,  I shall  attack  you,”  was  Strukoff’s  blunt  answer. 
“Very  well,  attack  us  ; but  the  responsibility  for  such  an  act 
of  injustice  will  lie  upon  your  own  shoulders.”  “ That  will 
be  decided  afterward  ; take  care  it  does  not  fall  on  yours.” 
“ But  how  is  that  possible  when  we  have  just  received  the 
most  imperative  orders.  May  I show  you  the  telegram.” 
“ There  is  no  occasion.  I have  my  instructions  in  my  pocket, 
and  I shall  carry  them  out.”  We  had  some  difficulty  in  get- 
ting rid  of  this  obstinate  pasha,  who  kept  assuring  us  of  the 
devotion  henceforth  of  Turks  to  Russians,  of  his  personal 
friendship  for  us,  and  of  the  injustice  of  attacking  him  the 
following  day,  etc.,  etc. 

* 

^ * 

Thus  I have  always  pictured  to  myself  the  treaty  negotia- 
tions in  the  old  days  between  Poland  and  Russia.  The  one 
proposing  the  cession  of  Smolensk,  the  other  demanding 
everything  up  to  Warsaw,  and  finally,  after  much  sweating 
and  disputing,  screaming  and  shouting,  the  strongest  and 
most  obstinate  of  the  two  had  its  way,  and  the  boundary  line 
was  drawn  to  its  satisfaction. 

❖ ^ 

Marching  out  the  next  morning  we  found  the  Turks  had 
started  at  the  same  time  we  did,  and  moved  so  slowly  that 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


1 66 

we  had  to  halt  continually  to  keep  ourselves  from  running 
into  their  horses’  tails.  Strukoff,  after  remonstrating  in  vain, 
rode  round  the  Turks,  whose  rear  guard  was  far  behind  us, 
and  when  even  that  had  no  effect  he  grew  angry  and  ordered 
our  guns  to  be  placed  in  position.  The  Turks  moved  a little 
more  quickly,  but  Strukoff  was  not  satisfied  with  this,  and 
riding  up  on  the  rising  ground  which  bordered  the  highway, 
shouted  out  with  the  same  tremendous  voice  which  he 
apparently  reserved  for  exceptional  cases  : “ Double-quick  ! 
march  ! ” The  Turkish  cavalry,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
Arabs,  probably  did  not  understand  the  command,  but  some 
of  them  must  have  known  what  it  meant,  for  they  galloped 
off,  followed  by  the  rest,  and  rode  before  the  Russian  general 
as  though  marching  past  at  a review.  It  was  amusing  to  see 
these  Arabs  with  their  bournouses  flying  in  the  wind,  with 
silken  tassels  to  their  shawls,  and  carrying  their  long  lances. 
In  some  cases  the  saddles,  not  prepared  for  a gallop,  slipped 
round  and  the  men  were  shot  over  their  horses’  heads.  But 
with  the  agility  of  cats  they  overtook  their  steeds  and 
remounted  them  while  at  full  gallop  ; and  all  this  amid  the 
roars  of  laughter  of  our  fellows,  who  were  literally  holding 
their  sides. 

When  we  reached  our  halting  place  we  again  stumbled 
across  these  Turks.  A colonel  from  the  Turkish  head- 
quarters staff  was  with  them.  He  had  been  dispatched  by 
Mukhtar  Pasha,  who  commanded  the  remnants  of  the  Turkish 
army.  This  colonel  had  very  probably  been  enlisting  the 
sympathies  of  the  Austrian  and  American  military  representa- 
tives, and  most  likely  complained  of  us  and  begged  for  their 
intervention,  for  on  entering  the  house  where  Strukoff 
received  him,  this  officer  (who  had  been  educated  in  England) 
asked  rather  curtly  whether  there  was  any  one  in  the  place 
who  spoke  English,  as  he  did  not  know  French.  “I  shall  be 
pleased  to  translate  for  you,”  said  Green,  the  American. 

Very  well,”  replied  the  delighted  Turk,  who  now  com- 
menced a long  tirade,  but  Strukoff  cut  him  short.  “ If  you 
please,”  he  said,  “I  do  not  understand  English.  Kindly  tell 
Mukhtar  Pasha  to  send  us  an  officer  who  can  speak  either 
French  or  German,  or  else  address  yourself  to  General 
Skobeleff.”  Arguments  were  not  listened  to,  and  the  Turk 
was  obliged  to  retire. 

Skobeleff  determined  to  dispatch  an  officer  to  Ghazi  (the 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE — STRUKOFF.  l6/ 


invincible)  Mukhtar,  and  we  continued  in  the  mean  time  to 
push  on  to  Tchataldja.  There  we  comprehended  why  the 
Turks  had  tried  so  hard  to  keep  us  back.  The  forts  which 
composed  the  celebrated  Tchekmendji  lines  for  the  defence 
of  Constantinople  from  the  land,  were  not  yet  completed  and 
men  were  still  busily  engaged  on  them.  In  some  places  even 
the  earthworks  were  not  completed  ; and  though  in  others 
the  forts  themselves  were  ready,  their  guns  had  not  yet 
been  mounted.  It  was  clear  that  the  Turks  had  relied  upon 
their  early  victories  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  had  turned  their 
attention  too  late  to  the  protection  of  their  capital,  or  rather 
capitals,  for  both  Adrianople  and  Constantinople  proved  to 
be  undefended  at  the  last  moment. 

❖ 

I rode  with  a few  dragoons  to  inspect  the  lines  which 
were  situated  a few  miles  from  Tchataldja,  and  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  for  horses  they  would  be  very  difficult  to  pass 
at  that  time  of  the  year,  and  for  artillery  practically  impossible. 
The  road  was  simply  a quagmire,  wherein  it  seemed  to  be 
only  natural  to  get  stuck  and  die  an  impenitent  sinner. 

The  officer  whom  Skobeleff  had  sent  to  Mukhtar  Pasha 
returned,  having  accomplished  his  mission.  But  I was  horri- 
fied when  I heard  how  he  was  treated.  By  way  of  a joke, 
Mukhtar,  while  talking  to  him,  pulled  his  beard,  one  side  of 
which  had  a slightly  different  color  from  the  other.  The 
elegant  and  refined  Russian  officer  did  not,  however,  resent 
this  insult — did  not  knock  down  the  invincible  Mukhtar, 
nor  even  betray  his  feelings.  My  fingers  itched  when  I 
heard  it  ; for  no  greater  insult  can  be  paid  an  enemy 
according  to  Mussulman  custom,  than  to  pull  his  beard.  I 
can  imagine  how  Mukhtar  and  his  cronies  must  have  laughed 
over  this  little  incident  when  they  related  it. 

Skobeleff  was  somewhat  sombre  and  out  of  sorts  when  he 
arrived.  "When  we  were  alone  he  said  ; 

“ Vassili  Vassilievitch,  do  you  think  the  war  is  over  ? ” 

“ I believe  it  is,”  I answered. 

‘‘You  think  peace  will  be  made  ? ” 

“ I do  ; and  I mean  to  be  off  on  the  strength  of  it.” 

“ Wait  a bit.  Perhaps  peace  will  not  be  made  quite  so 
soon.  We  may  yet  march  on  Constantinople,” 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


1 68 


“ No  ; I am  sure  peace  will  be  made.  I am  going  olf  to 
paint  pictures.” 

Lucky  fellow  ! ” 

❖ 

❖ ^ 

Skobeleff  told  Strukoff  and  me  at  luncheon  that  when  the 

division  of  cavalry  of  the  guard  under  General  E.  

marched  on  Rodosto,  the  inhabitants  kept  him  waiting  out- 
side of  the  town  on  some  pretext  or  other.  When  he  was  at 
length  admitted;  he  discovered  that  a vessel  laden  with  the 
town  treasure,  which  represented  a very  considerable  sum, 
had  just  left  the  harbor  for  Constantinople.  To  do  myself 
justice,  I had  frequently  asked  Strukoff  to  send  me  with  a 
small  detachment  to  the  wealthy  town  of  Rodosto,  to  levy  a 
small  ransom  of  a million  roubles  or  so  and  then  come  back. 
Strukoff  liked  the  idea,  but,  being  a very  careful  man,  he  did 
not  wish  to  risk  sending  too  small  a detachment,  lest  it  should 
be  cut  to  pieces,  and  on  the  other  hand  did  not  want  to  weaken 
his  own  forces  to  too  great  an  extent  by  sending  a large  one. 
Later,  when  we  were  officially  informed  of  the  truce,  all 
schemes  of  that  kind  had  to  be  given  up.  Now  that  I heard 
that  there  really  had  been  large  sums  of  money  in  the  treasury 
of  Rodosto,  I nearly  jumped  off  my  chair. 

Did  not  I ask  you,  General  Strukoff,  to  let  me  levy  a 
subsidy  from  Rodosto  ? ” 

Skobeleff  laughed  and  said  : 

“ What  a soldier  you  are,  Vassili  Vassilievitch  ! ” 

At  Adrianople  the  commander-in-chief  received  me  very 
graciously.  “ I thank  you,”  he  said  ; “you  are  a good  all- 
round man,  and  do  everything  well”  “ Glad  to  serve  you,” 
was  my  dutiful  reply.  I explained  to  His  Imperial  Highness 
our  reasons  for  permitting  some  of  the  Turkish  fugitives  to 
return  to  their  homes  ; there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  would 
not  have  found  rest  for  the  soles  of  their  feet,  and  would  have 
returned  starving  and  ruined.  It  was  clearly  better  to  let 
them  go  back  with  their  goods  and  chattels,  than  to  have 
them  return  as  paupers.  A diplomatic  official  who  has  since 
been  made  ambassador,  Nelidoff,  did  not  take  my  view. 
“ You  have  made  a grave  political  blunder,”  he  repeated 
several  times.  In  the  course  of  events,  however,  we  were 
perfectly  vindicated.  All  the  Turks  who  had  escaped  were 
afterward  permitted  to  return  to  their  former  abodes,  by 


THE  MARCH  ON  ADRIANOPLE— STRUKOFF.  l6g 


conditions  of  the  treaty,  but  they  were  so  completely  ruined 
in  the  streets  and  purlieus  of  Constantinople  that  they  were 
reduced  to  utter  destitution  and  were  for  a long  time  after- 
ward the  terror  of  the  population. 

Our  headquarters  at  Adrianople  were  very  lively  now. 
Crowds  of  people  arrived  as  though  bidden  to  a feast  ; some, 
animated  rather  late  in  the  day  with  a thirst  for  military 
glory,  and  others  to  do  business^  for  which  there  was  a 
splendid  opportunity.  The  military  agents  had  also  collected 
here,  so  that  our  former  cheerful  but  modest  party  resembled 
a noisy  court.  As  the  table  in  the  dining-room  was  not 
remarkably  large,  there  was  quite  a scramble  and  almost  a 
fight  for  seats  every  day.  The  streets  of  the  town  looked 
like  a continuous  bazaar.  From  General  Ignatieff,  who  was 
shaking  hands  right  and  left,  and  knew  bow  to  make  himself 
popular  with  every  one  even  here,  down  to  the  newly-arrived 
ensign  glad  to  find  at  last  a chance  of  spending  his  accumu- 
lated wealth,  all  were  feasting  and  celebrating  the  victory. 

I had  .to  go  to  Tchorlou  to  make  a few  sketches,  for  which 
I had  had  but  little  time  before,  owing  to  other  less  artistic 
occupations.  The  railway  was  in  our  hands,  and  those  who 
liked  were  allowed  to  avail  themselves  of  it.  At  Tchorlou  I 
found  many  changes.  At  the  little  buffet  in  the  station  there 
was  such  a crowd  of  people  that  I would  have  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  my  wants  supplied  if  the  master  had 
not  rushed  up  to  me  and  treated  me  with  the  most  ceremoni- 
ous and  effusive  politeness.  I remembered  that  when  we 
were  all-powerful  in  these  parts  he  had  entreated  us  to 
protect  him  from  the  Bashi-Eazouks,  and  had  asked  us  to 
help  him  recover  his  stolen  property  and  sheep  and  cattle. 
With  Strukoff’s  permission,  I had  given  him  a few  dragoons 
to  convoy  his  flocks.  It  is  quite  possible  that  he  managed 
by  the  aid  of  this  escort  not  only  to  protect  his  own  flocks, 
but  to  assume  proprietary  rights  over  a few  of  those  that  had 
been  left  to  roam  at  large  by  the  Turks  after  their  flight.  If 
this  was  indeed  the  case,  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable 
in  his  gratitude,  which  took  the  practical  form  of  a tough 
piece  of  leather,  intended  to  represent  a beefsteak,  and  a 
bottle  of  his  best  home  -made  “ Lafitte.” 

There  was  no  train  to  take  me  back,  as  regular  traffic  had 
not  yet  been  re-established,  and  no  one  knew  when  there 
would  be  one.  I had  to  order  a special  train  for  myself, 


I/O 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


which  was  actually  provided  for  me.  Here  an  interesting 
incident  occurred.  Just  as  we  were  about  to  start,  a Bulga- 
rian came  running  up  waving  a letter  in  his  hand  and  shout- 
ing : Letter  from  Prince  Reuss  to  Adrianople  ! ” Knowing 

that  Prince  Reuss  was  the  German  ambassador  at  Constanti- 
nople, I instantly  stopped  the  train,  and  made  the  Bulgarian 
get  in  and  sit  beside  me,  warning  him  at  the  same  time  not 
to  speak  to  the  railway  officials,  who  were  all  Austrians,  and 
who  had  pricked  their  ears  at  the  mention  of  Prince  Reuss’s 
name.  When  we  arrived  I sent  the  Bulgarian  to  an  inn,  but 
went  myself  to  Ignatieff  with  the  letter.  Ignatieff  was  com- 
ing in  arm-in-arm  with  Nelidoff.  The  Bulgarian  I com- 
mitted to  the  care  of  Skalon,  who  dined  him  and  wined  him, 
and  presented  him  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

The  letter  turned  out  to  be  a very  important  one.  It  was 
a confidential  communication  from  Prince  Reuss  informing 
us  that  the  English  iron  clad  fleet  had  entered  the  bay.  We 
instantly  decided  to  march  on  to  San  Stefano,  and  to  enter 
Constantinople  if  the  English  came  any  farther. 

* 

When  I was  about  to  take  my  departure  on  the  following 
day,  the  good-natured  Skalon  informed  me  that  His  Imperial 
Highness  wanted  me  to  accept  as  a memento  a golden  sword 
(which  is  only  given  for  great  personal  valor),  but  I laughed 
and  thanked  him  and  bolted  to  the  railway  station. 

Honi  soit  qui  nial  y pense  ! 


V.  V.  VERESTCHAGIN. 


V. 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 

I REMEMBER  as  if  it  had  been  yesterday  the  occasion  on  which 
I first  made  acquaintance  with  Skobeleff  in  Central  Asia  in  the 
year  1870.  It  was  at  Tashkend,  in  the  only  inn  of  the  town. 
A Frenchman,  named  Girarde,  who  was  tutor  to  the  children 
of  the  governor,  General  Kaufmann,  pointed  out  to  me  a 
young  Hussar  officer  of  pleasing  appearance,  and  begged 
leave  to  introduce  ‘‘his  former  pupil,  Skobeleff.”  I shook  the 
young  man’s  hand  ; he  replied  with  a courteous  bow,  and 
with  some  rather  extravagant  expressions  of  his  esteem  for 
me  and  his  happiness  in  making  my  acquaintance.  I felt  my- 
self immediately  drawn  towards  the  young  man  (he  was  a 
year  younger  than  myself)  ; but  I must  confess  that  I did 
not  show  very  much  warmth  in  talking  to  him,  on  account  of 
a very  unpleasant  affair  in  which  he  had  lately  been  con- 
cerned. He  had  been  exploring  the  frontiers  of  Bokhara,  and 
on  his  return  made  a report  upon  the  suppression  of  brigand- 
age in  those  parts  —forty  brigands  killed,  and  so  on,  though, 
as  afterwards  appeared,  there  were  no  brigands  at  all.  This 
gave  rise  to  a grave  scandal.  The  governor  of  the  province. 
General  Kaufmann,  sent  for  Skobeleff,  and,  in  the  presence 
of  a number  of  officers,  rebuked  him  in  a loud  voice  and  in 
strong  terms : “You  have  told  lies,  and  covered  yourself 
with  disgrace.”  Skobeleff  was  challenged  by  two  of  his 
brother  officers,  wounded  one  of  them,  and  had  to  leave 
Turkestan. 

Ten  years  later,  the  young  lieutenant  had  risen  to  the  rank 
of  general,  and  had  a command-in-chief  in  the  war  against 
the  Turkomans.  It  must  be  allowed  that  he  showed  himself 
quite  worthy  of  his  advancement  ; but  in  1873,  during  the 
campaign  of  Khiva,  he  committed  another  error,  which, 
though  not  so  gross  as  that  of  1870,  was  still  serious  enough  : 
contrary  to  the  orders  of  his  superior  officer,  he  led  his  men 
to  the  assault  of  Khiva  at  the  very  moment  when  a deputa- 


1/2 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


tion  was  starting  in  order  to  surrender  the  town  and  to  make 
complete  submission  to  the  Russian  commander. 

It  was  in  this  campaign,  however,  that  Skobeleff  made  his 
reputation,  and  distinguished  himself  by  an  act  of  chivalrous 
daring.  Of  the  three  divisions  which  had  been  sent  against 
Khiva,  one,  the  Caucasian  division,  commanded  by  General 
Markosoff,  was  unable  to  reach  its  destination  ; in  attempting 
to  advance  too  rapidly,  the  men  exhausted  their  strength  and 
rode  their  horses  to  death,  and  when  they  were  only  fifty 
miles  from  Khiva  they  were  obliged  to  turn  back.  This  piece 
of  the  road,  consequently,  had  still  to  be  explored,  and  a 
small  expedition  was  to  be  sent  out  for  the  purpose.  Skobeleff 
volunteered  to  explore  it  himself.  He  disguised  himself  as  a 
Turkoman,  and,  with  only  two  guides,  actually  explored  and 
mapped  out  the  road,  to  within  nine  miles  of  the  well  where 
the  Caucasian  division  had  turned  back,  and  where  a strong 
body  of  Turkomans  was  now  said  to  be  encamped.  I asked 
Skobeleff  afterwards  whether  he  had  not  met  anybody  on  the 
way.  “Yes,”  he  replied  ; “but,  whenever  I saw  people  on 
the  road,  I sent  my  two  guides  on  in  front  ; they  would  begin 
to  talk  about  anything  that  came  into  their  heads,  principally 
about  the  Russians,  and  meantime  I would  ride  quietly  by. 
Of  course  we  rode  chiefly  at  night  and  in  the  twilight.”  For 
this  feat  Skobeleff  received  the  long-coveted  St.  George’s 
Cross  of  the  fourth  class.  General  Kaufmann  told  me  that  as 
he  handed  Skobeleff  this  token  of  gallantry  he  added  these 
words  : “ In  my  opinion  you  have  now  atoned  for  your  for- 
mer error  ; but  you  have  not  yet  won  my  esteem.”  Bitter  ! 

But  Skobeleff  won  General  Kaufmann’s  esteem  in  the 
campaign  against  Khokand,  which  soon  followed.  When  the 
rebellion  broke  out,  he  escorted  the  Russian  embassy  from 
Khokand  to  the  frontier  of  Russia,  and  at  the  same  time  se- 
cured the  safety  of  the  Khan,  and  laid  his  plans  so  well  that 
he  accomplished  his  purpose  without  the  loss  of  a single  man. 
One  false  step,  one  shot  fired  by  the  fugitives,  who  were  a 
mere  handful  of  men,  would  have  been  enough  to  bring  on  a 
bloody  struggle,  in  which  the  rebels,  with  their  overpowering 
numbers,  must  have  been  victorious.  In  the  war  which  fol- 
lowed, General  Kaufmann  annihilated  the  forces  of  Khokand 
at  Mahram,  and  Skobeleff,  as  commander  of  the  cavalry,  was 
ubiquitous,  and  worked  terrible  havoc  among  the  enemy,  on 
one  occasion  repeating  the  stratagem  by  which  Gideon  the 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 


73 


Israelite,  and  Akbar  the  Great  Mogul,  had  won  renown. 
When  he  heard  that  the  enemy’s  cavalry  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, he  stole  up  to  them  at  night  with  a picked  body  of  Cos- 
sacks, threw  himself  upon  them  as  they  slept,  with  loud  cries 
of  “ Hurrah  ! ” and  put  a great  number  to  the  sword.  Skobe- 
leff  told  me  that  they  picked  up  2, coo  turbans  on  the  field 
next  day. 

At  the  time  of  the  Russo-Turkish  Avar  Skobeleff  had 
already  risen  to  the  rank  of  major-general  and  Avon  the 
St.  George’s  Cross  (third  class),  and  although  Avhen  the  Avar 
began  his  fame  AAms  lighly  esteemed,  and  no  command  Avas 
given  to  him,  yet  his  behaAuor  in  the  course  of  the  Avar  Avas 
such  that  at  the  end  of  it  he  AA^as  universally  regarded  as  one 
of  our  first  fighting  generals,  as  the  popular  hero,  and  the 
bravest  of  the  brave. 

But  at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  being  tired  of  inac- 
tivity, he  took  it  into  his  head  to  do  an  extremely  silly  thing, 
Avhich  might  have  had  serious  consequences.  He  persuaded 
his  father,  AA^ho  Avas  at  that  time  in  command  of  a division  of 
Cossacks,  that  it  AA’as  possible  for  his  troops  to  SAvim  across 
the  Danube.  The  river  Avas  in  flood  at  the  time,  and  at 
least  two  miles  Avide.  The  elder  Skobeleff,  being  a cautious 
and  prudent  man,  called  the  regimental  colonels  together  and 
asked  them  their  opinion.  My  friend.  Colonel  Kucharenko, 
commanding  the  Kuban  regiment,  gave  his  opinion  first,  Avith 
his  usual  stammer  : “ It  is  imp-p-possible,  quite  imp-p-p-possi- 
ble  ! ” The  brave  Levis,  commanding  the  Vladicaucasians, 
said  it  might  perhaps  be  attempted,  but  that  probably  the 
greater  part  of  the  troops  Avould  be  drowned.  Then  Skobe- 
leff invited  volunteers,  and  a few  ofhcers  and  men  actually 
offered  themselves.  But  they  all  turned  back  ; some  gave 
up  as  soon  as  they  found  themselves  out  of  their  depth,  others 
after  SAvimming  five  or  six  hundred  yards  ; none  got  farther 
than  the  real  bank  of  the  Danube,  which  rose  out  of  the 
floods  and  formed  a kind  of  island.  IMichael  Skobeleff  alone 
SAvam  on,  Avhile  his  father  stood  on  the  shore  and  cried  con- 
tinually, “ Misha,  turn  back  ; you  Avill  be  droAvned  ; turn 
back,  Misha  ! ” But  he  Avould  not  turn,  and  SAvam  on  till  he 
almost  reached  the  further  shore.  He  was  picked  up  by  a 
boat  Avithin  a short  distance  of  the  land.  His  horse  made 
the  passage  in  safety  ; but  the  Cossacks,  Avith  their  short, 
heavy  horses,  Avould  have  fared  much  Avorse,  and  Avould  cer- 


174 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


tainly  have  found  a watery  grave — though,  indeed,  Skobeleff’s 
horse  was  not  a remarkably  good  one,  but  only  a very  ordi- 
nary mare,  and  not  a gray  (his  favorite  color),  but  a sorrel. 

This  was  neither  the  first  nor  the  least  feat  of  the  kind 
that  Skobeleff  performed.  Not  long  before  his  death,  when 
he  was  in  command  of  an  army  corps,  he  ordered  his  cavalry 
to  cross  a river.  The  men  had  no  heart  for  the  business  ; 
the  colonel  declared  they  would  all  be  drowned.  Thereupon 
Skobeleff  jumped  upon  the  back  of  the  nearest  troop-horse, 
and,  though  the  animal  showed  great  reluctance,  compelled 
it  to  swim  to  the  opposite  shore  and  back  again.  “ You  see, 
brothers,  that  it  can  be  done,”  said  he  to  the  regiment  ; 
“ now  follow  my  lead.”  And  the  regiment  actually  crossed 
the  river  and  came  back  again  without  the  loss  of  a single 
man.  This  river,  however,  was  not  two  miles  broad. 

When  the  Russian  troops  were  crossing  the  Danube,  Sko- 
beleff, who  had  not  received  any  appointment,  begged  per- 
mission of  General  Dragomiroff  to  act  as  one  of  his  orderly 
officers.  He  excited  universal  admiration  by  his  fearlessness. 
Moving  about  under  fire  as  calmly  as  if  he  were  walking  on 
the  boulevards,  he  carried  his  orders  always  to  the  right 
quarter,  inspired  every  one  with  fresh  courage,  and  behaved 
like  a fighting  officer  who  knows  his  business.  How  strongly 
was  he  reprimanded  afterwards  by  the  commander-in-chief 
for  meddling  with  matters  that  did  not  concern  him  ! 

In  the  second  attack  on  Plevna  Skobeleff  was  entrusted 
with  a battalion — and  what  was  the  result  ? With  this  single 
battalion  and  the  Cossacks  he  actually  saved  our  beaten 
troops  : Prince  Shahofskoi  plainly  states  in  his  report  that 
nothing  but  the  gallant  conduct  of  Skobeleff  saved  his  corps 
from  destruction.  With  a mere  handful  of  men  he  advanced 
right  up  to  Plevna,  forced  the  Turks,  who  had  no  idea  that 
their  assailants  numbered  only  a few  hundreds,  to  concentrate 
themselves,  drew  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy’s  attack  upon 
himself,  and  enabled  our  disorded  regiments  to  retire  in 
safety.  My  younger  brother,  who  fell  afterwards  in  the 
third  assault  upon  Plevna,  was  with  Skobeleff  just  at  this 
time,  and  seeing  the  General’s  horse  killed  under  him  for  the 
second  time,  dismounted  and  offered  him  his  own.  “ I 
won’t  take  your  horse,”  said  Skobeleff  ; “he  is  not  a gray.” 
But  the  storm  of  bullets  and  shells  became  so  heavy,  and  the 
Turks  were  advancing  in  such  force,  that  he  was  obliged  to 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 


175 


accept  my  brother’s  horse  after  all,  and  though  it  was  a sor- 
rel it  carried  him  out  of  the  fire  as  well  as  his  gray  could 
have  done. 

At  the  battle  of  Lovisha,  Skobeleff  for  the  first  time  com- 
manded a division,  which  numbered  20,000  men.  He  was 
chief  of  the  staff  to  General  Prince  Imeritinski,  who  put  the 
conduct  of  affairs  entirely  in  his  hands,  and  was  a spectator 
of  the  battle  from  a hill  at  some  distance.  After  the  capture 


SKOBELEFF. 

of  the  forts,  which  assuredly  no  other  Russion  general  would 
have  taken.  Prince  Imeritinski  in  his  report  called  Skobeleff 
the  hero  of  the  day,  as  indeed  he  was. 


176 


VERESICHAGIN. 


There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  Skobeleff  might  have 
taken  Plevna  on  August  30.  But  what  could  he  do  ? When, 
with  scanty  forces  of  the  left  wing,  he  had,  after  three  days’ 
continuous  fighting,  taken  the  Turkish  redoubt  which  com- 
manded the  town,  and  begged  for  reinforcements,  the  authori- 
ties sent  him,  out  of  spite  probably,  a regiment  which  had 
been  beaten  and  demoralized  the  day  before.  Osman  Pasha 
threw  himself  upon  “ the  white  general  ” with  overwhelming 
forces,  beat  him,  and  drove  him  beyond  his  previous  position. 
Hotii  soit  qui  mal  y pense, 

^ * 

Skobeleff  was  always  very  busy,  and  both  wrote  and  read 
a great  deal.  His  reports  to  the  commander-in-chief,  treat- 
ing of  the  behavior  of  our  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  course 
of  the  Russo-Turkish  war,  and  the  real  causes  of  our  tempo- 
rary disasters,  show  wonderful  powers  of  observation  and 
contain  many  acute  remarks.  When  I was  with  Skobeleff  at 
Plevna,  I read  a number  of  these  reports,  and  learned  from 
him  that  they  were  not  at  all  Vv^ell  received  in  high  quarters. 

Skobeleff  was  master  of  French,  English,  and  German, 
and  had  a remarkably  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country 
which  was  the  theatre  of  the  Russo-Turkish  war.  He  had  a 
great  admiration  for  the  military  genius  of  Napoleon  among 
men  of  the  past,  and  of  Moltke  among  his  contemporaries. 
He  had  a poor  opinion  of  Totleben’s  abilities,  and  once,  I 
remember,  he  was  quite  enraged  because  I spoke  in  praise 
of  Gourko  ; he  could  not  help  laughing  when  he  remem- 
bered how  that  General  once  ducked  under  cover  to  avoid  a 
Turkish  shell.  The  other  heroes  of  the  Russo-Turkish  war 
he  called  cowards  and  dotards.  What  do  you  think,  Vas- 
sily Vassilievitch  ? ” he  said  to  me  once  on  coming  out  of  a 
council  of  war,  held  just  after  the  third  attack  upon  Plevna, 
in  which  our  great  captains  had  been  deliberating  whether 
we  should  maintain  our  positions  or  not.  What  name  do 
such  creatures  deserve  ? Imagine  an  artist  who  should 
besmear  his  canvas  continually  with  reds  and  blues  and 
greens  and  other  colors,  without  producing,  and  without  the 
smallest  faculty  of  producing,  any  intelligible  result ! ” 

It  is  impossible  for  any  one  who  has  not  actually  seen 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 


177 


Skobeleff  under  fire  to  imagine  the  calmness  and  coolness 
which  he  displayed  in  a storm  of  bullets  and  shells.  Not  that 
this  calmness  meant  insensibility.  I have  already  mentioned 
that  Skobeleff,  according  to  his  own  testimony,  was  full  of 
apprehensions,  and  at  the  beginning  of  a battle  always  fancied 
that  that  day  would  assuredly  be  his  last.  How  great,  then, 
must  have  been  his  strength  of  will  ! What  an  effort  must 
this  calmness  have  cost  him  ! Indeed,  he  was  always  in  a 
state  of  internal  excitement.  When  he  was  talking  it  was 
almost  impossible  for  him  to  sit  still  ; he  would  pace  up  and 
down  like  a caged  tiger.  When  he  was  obliged  to  sit  still  at 
table,  he  would  take  bread  or  anything  else  that  was  within 
his  reach  and  knead  it  betw^een  his  fingers.  I often  used  to 
take  him  by  the  hand  and  tell  him  that  he  really  must  sit 
quiet  for  a little. 

For  all  his  courage  under  fire,  he  was  a regular  coward  at 
headquarters  and  in  the  presence  of  high  personages.  Before 
his  troops  he  always  appeared  in  smart  dress  and  with  his 
hair  neatly  trimmed  and  scented  ; but  -when  he  appeared 
before  his  superiors  it  wms  always  in  a wmrn-out  coat,  wdth  a 
cloak  hanging  all  awry,  and  a cap  crushed  down  on  the  back 
of  his  head,  as  if  he  w^ere  afraid  that  his  elegance  might  give 
as  much  offense  as  his  gallantry.  On  my  second  journey 
from  Paris  to  the  Danube,  I visited  Skobeleff s mother,  who 
begged  me  to  take  a small  case  which  her  son  much  needed. 
When  the  luggage  was  being  examined  at  the  custom-house 
on  the  frontier  I had  to  open  the  case,  and  found  it  to  contain 
only  cosmetics.  In  the  company  of  persons  of  high  rank 
Skobeleff  was  embarrassed,  and  wmre  an  air  of  humility 
that  w^as  almost  pitiable,  the  result,  evidently,  of  embarass- 
ment.  It  is  the  custom  in  Russia  to  kiss  the  hand  of  the 
Czar  and  the  Grand  Dukes,  or,  if  you  wash  to  be  particularly 
courteous,  to  kiss  the  hand  and  the  shoulder  ; but  Skobeleff 
went  so  far  as  to  kiss  three  times,  and  performed  this  cere- 
mony so  rapidly  that  it  was  impossible  to  stop  him. 

This  triple  kissing,  how-ever,  he  did  not  reserve  exclusive- 
ly for  these  exalted  personages.  Once,  whenw^e  w*ere  break- 
fasting together  in  a separate  room  of  a gargote  in  Paris,  he 
could  not  refrain  from  bestowing  three  kisses  on  the  hand  of 
the  waitress,  though  she  wms  a girl  of  quite  ordinary  appear- 
ance. On  this  occasion,  how^ever,  he  did  not  hurry  himself, 
but  performed  the  ceremony  with  feeling  and  with  appro- 


;8 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


priate  intervals.  He  actually  wished  to  make  this  same  girl 
a present  of  a hundred  francs  simply  because  she  had  changed 
a note  of  a thousand  francs  for  him,  and  though  I dissuaded 
him  from  this  extravagance,  he  still  insisted  on  giving  her 
twenty  francs.  This  reckless  squandering  of  money  is  a 
genuine  feature  of  the  Slav  character.  He  was  good-natured, 
but  his  good-nature  almost  bordered  on  inconsiderateness. 
For  instance,  if  he  met  poor  people,  he  generally  ordered 
one  of  the  subalterns  who  accompanied  him  to  give  the 
poor  man  a gold  piece  ; but  as  he  often  forgot  the  outlays 
made  for  him,  and  often  had  no  money,  it  naturally  fol- 
lowed that  meeting  poor  people  was  more  alarming  to  his 
orderlies  than  meeting  the  enemy.  Latterly  I noticed  in 
him  an  inclination  to  do  justice.  I remember,  for  example, 
that  after  the  battle  of  Shenovo  I found  him  busy  with  a 
letter  of  apology  to  an  officer  commanding  a battalion 
under  him  to  whom  he  had  been  unjust.  A general  in 
command  of  a detachment  who  confesses  a fault  to  a major 
is  a rare,  if  not  a unique,  phenomenon  in  any  army. 

Skobeleff  gave  me  as  a memento  his  banner,  which  he  had 
carried  in  twenty-two  engagemicnts.  The  list  of  these  en- 
gagements, drawn  up  carefully  by  himself,  1 have  deposited 
in  the  Imperial  Library.  The  banner  hangs  in  my  studio  ; it 
is  a piece  of  red  silk,  with  a yellow  cross,  on  a Cossack’s  pike, 
showing  many  bullet-holes,  and  much  tattered  by  all  the  ser- 
vice it  has  seen.  When  he  was  starting  on  his  last  campaign 
against  the  Turkomans,  he  remembered  the  banner,  and  said 
I must  give  it  back  to  him,  or  else  give  him  a new  one  in- 
stead. I did  not  wish  to  give  him  back  the  old  one,  and  for 
a long  time  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  give  him  a new 
one,  as  I knew  that  if  he  did  not  like  it  he  would  give  it  to 
the  men  to  wrap  their  feet  in.  At  last,  however,  I presented 
him  with  a very  handsome  new  banner.  It  consisted  on  one 
side  of  a fringed  Indian  shawl,  and  on  the  other  of  a piece  of 
red  Chinese  satin,  with  a St.  Andrew’s  cross  in  blue,  Skobel- 
eff’s  initials,  and  the  year.  I cut  out  the  banner  myself,  and 
my  wife  embroidered  it.  I heard  from  my  brother,  who  was 
then  serving  as  one  of  Skobeleff’s  orderlies,  that  the  flag  was 
much  admired  by  the  General  and  by  the  friendly  Turkomans, 
and  that  they  were  never  tired  of  looking  at  it.  But  presently 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 


179 


began  a series  of  misfortunes  and  failures  ; the  enemy  made 
sallies  from  Geok-Tepe,  killed  many  of  our  men,  and  took  a 
quantity  of  arms,  a flag,  and  two  guns.  Skobeleff  was  in 
despair.  Give  me  back  my  old  banner,”  he  cried  ; “this 
new  one  is  unlucky.”  I refused.  The  enemy  made  another 
sally,  and  our  army  again  endured  heavy  loss.  He  repeated 
his  demand  : “ Give  me  back  my  lucky  banner,  and  take  your 
unlucky  one.”  ‘‘  I won’t  give  it  up,”  was  my  answer.  At 
last  Skobeleff  took  Geok-Tepe  by  storm,  inflicting  severe  loss 
on  the  enemy,  taking  a great  quantity  of  arms,  &c.,  and 
gaining  a triumphant  success  : so  that  the  reputation  of  my 
banner  was  quite  re-established,  to  the  delight  of  the  General 
and  the  Turkomans.  This  beautiful,  lucky  and  unlucky  flag 
now  waves  over  Skobeleff’s  grave. 

This  lovable  and  sympathetic  nature  was  deeply  tinged 
with  superstition.  Skobeleff  believed  in  lucky  and  unlucky- 
days,  in  lucky  meetings,  in  omens  and  forebodings.  Nothing 
would  have  induced  him  to  sit  down  with  thirteen  at  table  ; 
the  spilling  of  a little  salt  was  enough  to  make  him  start  or 
even  to  jump  up  from  his  seat,  and  he  could  not  stay  in  a 
room  in  which  three  candles  were  burning. 

❖ 

❖ ❖ 

One  day  Skobeleff  said  to  me,  “ Vassily  Vassilievitch, 
what  do  you  take  to  be  the  purpose  of  these  Nihilists  and 
Anarchists  ? I am  free  to  confess  that  I do  not  under- 
stand what  they  are  about.”  “ Their  views,”  I replied,  “ are, 
as  I understand  them^,  first,  that  there  is  to  be  no  more 
war,  and  secondly,  that  all  painting  is  humbug  ; so  that  if 
they  cam_e  into  power,  you,  with  your  generalship  and  your 
victories,  and  I,  with  all  my  pictures,  would  be  sent  to  the 
devil.”  “Now  I,  understand,”  said  Skobeleff,  “and  from 
this  moment  I am  their  determined  foe.” 

Skobeleff,  however,  like  so  many  others,  failed  to  under- 
stand that  the  springs  of  that  violent  revolutionary  movement 
which  goes  by  the  name  of  Nihilism  lie  deep  down  in  the 
present  state  of  society  in  Russia,  and  that  it  is  not  to  be 
suppressed  by  any  conceivable  police  regulations.  “ I am 
afraid  that  something  terrible  is  going  to  happen,”  I said  to 
Skobeleff  shortly  before  he  started  for  Turkestan  in  1880, 
when  the  attempts  upon  the  life  of  the  late  Czar  were  becom- 
ing more  and  more  frequent.  “ My  belief  is,”  he  replied. 


i8o 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


“that  they  will  all  be  trapped  like  so  many  mice.”  “I 
believe,  on  the  contrary,”  said  I,  “that  they  will  achieve  their 
purpose  and  kill  the  Czar.”  After  the  assassination  of  Alex- 
ander II.  Skobeleff  said  to  my  brother  at  Geok-Tepe  : “ Vas- 
sily Vassilievitch  told  me  some  time  ago  that  this  was  going 
to  happen.” 

I remember  Skobeleff  telling  me  that  on  his  way  through 
Odessa  he  met  Privy  Councillor  Panutin,  whose  business  it 
was  to  superintend  the  deportation  of  Nihilists  to  the  island 
of  Sachalin.  There  were  some  seven  hundred  young  people 
ready  to  be  shipped  off,  some  charged  with  serious,  others 
with  trifling  offenses,  a certain  proportion  probably  being 
quite  innocent.  All  were  brought  to  the  place  where,  as  the 
Russian  proverb  says : “ Makar  never  yet  drove  his  cattle.” 
“ When  are  you  going  to  try  all  these  cases  ? ” asked  Skobe- 
leff ; “ it  will  take  a terribly  long  time.”  “ What  is  there  to 
try  ? ” answered  the  councillor  ; “ it  does  not  take  long  to 
sentence  them.  We  just  send  them  off — God  may  judge 
them  there.” 

* 

Skobeleffs  figure  stands  before  me  now,  the  figure  of  a 
beloved,  sympathetic  man  and  highly  gifted  soldier,  with  all 
the  merits  and  faults  of  the  Slav  character. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  here  to  repeat  what  Skobeleff 
said  in  the  circle  of  his  friends ; it  is  enough  to  say  that  he 
was  always  an  advocate  of  the  normal  development  of  Rus- 
sia, of  progress,  not  of  retrogression. 

But  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  no  fixed  point  of  view  in 
regard  to  these  questions.  I often  told  him  that  he  might  be 
bribed  (not  with  money,  of  course,  but  with  honors).  He 
disputed  this  very  warmly,  and  put  on  the  appearance  of 
being  injured  ; but  I believe  that  I was  not  mistaken. 

Skobeleff  was  very  ambitious,  and  would  hardly  have 
endured  even  a temporary  loss  of  his  command.  I attribute 
the  change  in  his  views  within  the  last  few  months  of  his  life 
to  his  ambition.  When  I attacked  him  at  our  last  meeting  in 
Berlin  for  his  violent  speech  at  St.  Petersburg,  he  tried  to 
justify  himself.  When,  however,  I pointed  out  to  him  thar 
he  had  done  no  one  any  good,  and  showed  into  whose  hands 
he  was  playing  by  forcing  Russia  into  a war,  he  looked  round 
to  see  that  no  one  heard  us,  and  said  angrily  : “Then  I will 


M.  D.  SKOBELEFF. 


I8l 


tell  you  the  truth,  Vassily  Vassilievitch.  I could  not  help 
myself  ; they  forced  me  into  it ! ” 

As  to  who  the  persons  were,  I keep  silence. 

Ele  moreover  gave  me  his  word  of  honor  not  to  m^ake  any 
more  such  speeches.  He  promised — and  spoke  again  in 
Paris. 

‘ ❖ 

P.S. — Skobeleff’s  last  attacks  on  Germany  were  not  made 
without  definite  grounds. 

On  his  return  from  the  manoeuvres  of  the  Prussian  army, 
he  seemed  to  me  extremely  excited  ; everything  that  he  had 
seen  and  heard  in  Germany  pointed,  he  thought,  to  a speedy 
war  with  Russia  : even  in  the  words  which  the  German 
Emperor  addressed  to  him  at  his  parting  audience,  words 
that  seemed  to  me  completely  innocent,  Skobeleff  heard  a 
threat.  I remember  that  he  imitated  the  way  in  which  the 
Emperor  William  sat  there  on  his  horse,  and  the  tone  in 
which,  surrounded  by  a numerous  and  brilliant  suite,  he 
entrusted  him  with  a greeting  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia. 
“You  have  subjected  us  to  the  closest  scrutiny”  (“Vous 
venez  de  m’examiner  jusqu’a  mes  boyaux  ”),  the  German 
Emperor  is  reported  to  have  said  to  him.  “ You  have  only 
seen  two  corps,  but  tell  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  that  all  the 
fifteen  corps  do  their  duty  equally  well  when  occasion 
requires.” 

These  words  must  be  authentic,  for  Skobeleff  noted  them 
down  at  once.  I found  nothing  in  them,  as  I have  already 
said,  which  intimated  a threat,  but  Skobeleff  thought  differ- 
ently. Still  more  hostile  feelings  were  roused  in  him  by  an 
expression  used  by  the  late  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  The 
Prince,  known  not  only  as  a brave  cavalry  officer,  but  also  as 
an  honest  and  upright  man,  tapped  Skobeleff  on  the  shoulder 
in  a friendly  manner  and  said  : “ My  dear  friend,  do  what  you 
like,  Austria  must  go  to  Salonica.” 

These  words  also  were  at  once  noted  down  by  Skobeleff, 
and  he  could  not  think  of  them  later  with  coolness.  “ So  it 
is  a settled  thing,”  said  he,  stalking  from  one  corner  to  the 
other  of  his  little  room  like  a tiger  in  a cage.  “ So  Germany 
helps  them,  and  we  are  to  be  silent,  and  look  on  calmly  ! ” &c. 

The  speeches  he  made  after  this  may  have  been  precipi- 
tate, but  they  were  not  uttered  under  the  influence  of  wine, 
as  was  maintained  at  the  time.  This  is  proved  by  the  above 
reminiscence. 


VI. 


/.  TURGENIEFF. 

1879-1883. 

I WAS  not  intimately  acquainted  with  Turgenieff  until  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  of  which  I now  give  a short  account. 

Our  acquaintance  dates  from  the  time  when  I was  in  the 
lower  class  of  the  naval  cadet  corps  (in  1855),  to  which  he 
brought  his  nephew,  also  a Turgenieff.  I then  knew  nothing 
of  his  works,  but  remember  that  both  we  cadets  and  our  offi- 
cers looked  at  Ivan  Sergeievitch  with  curiosity.  In  fact,  he 
was  worth  looking  at.  He  seemed  a giant,  especially  by  con- 
trast with  little  half-developed  creatures  like  us.  I can  still 
see  him,  as  if  it  were  yesterday,  with  his  hands  crossed  behind 
his  back,  walking  about  among  our  beds. 

His  nephew,  a little  fellow,  with  a face  like  a pug,  was 
given  the  very  first  day  his  nickname  of  Madcap  ; ” he  soon 
ran  away  from  the  corps,  but  Ivan  Sergeievitch  brought  him 
back  again  bound.  I forgot  to  inquire  after  this  nephew  ; if 
he  was  not  the  Mishka  of  whom  Turgenieff  afterwards  wrote 
about  and  described,  he  was  at  any  rate  very  like  him. 

❖ 

* ^ 

Many  years  passed.  I read  and  re-read  “ The  Sportsman’s 
Diary,”  and  then  all  Turgenieff ’s  stories  and  novels.  It  hap- 
pened that  I read  Antonovitch’s  critique  on  ‘‘  Fathers  and 
Sons  ” before  I read  the  novel  itself,  and  remember  very  well 
that  it  seemed  to  me  partial.  But  when  I read  the  novel  I 
was  much  struck  by  the  narrowness  and  one-sidedness  of  the 
critic’s  judgments.  The  effect  this  novel  had  upon  me  was 
immense.  I have  read  it  more  than  once  since,  discovering 
each  time  new  beauties,  new  master-touches,  and  wondering 
each  time  at  the  author’s  impartiality  and  his  skill  in  conceal- 
ing his  likes  and  dislikes.  Not  only  the  chief  characters,  but 
also  the  secondary  personages  drawn  with  merely  a few 
touches,  were  living  beings,  created  by  a highly  gifted  artist. 


I.  S.  TURGEXIEFF. 


183 


“Virgin  Soil  ” 1 did  not  like  at  all.  In  the  first  part  there 
is  much  that  is  natural,  and  the  types  are  true  ; but  the  sec- 
ond part  is  evidently  not  the  result  of  observation,  but 
founded  on  information  and  conjecture  which  Turgenieff  re- 
ceived at  third  hand.  I used  bad  language,  I confess,  when 
I read  the  second  part  ; not  that  the  subject  shocked  me — 
not  at  all  ; for  I am  of  opinion  that  in  the  hands  of  a great 
genius  anything  can  be  the  subject  of  artistic  representation, 


TURGENIEFF. 


assuming  that  this  great  genius  is  acquainted  with  the  sub- 
ject on  which  he  writes. 

To  illustrate  my  meaning  I will  take  the  well-known 
French  novelist  Zola.  Some  of  his  novels,  e.  g.  “ L’Assom- 
moir,”  move  in  an  atmosphere  of  truth,  and  are  remarkable 
for  the  correctness  of  the  t}q:)es  ; others,  like  “ Nana,”  are 
weaker.  The  author  is  blamed  for  the  filth  described  in  the 
latter  ; but  I am  far  from  agreeing  to  that,  because  in  my 


1 84 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


opinion  the  representation  of  certain  strata  of  society  is  im- 
possible if  certain  explanations  are  not  made  and  certain  pict- 
ures drawn  ; at  any  rate,  it  is  important  for  the  history  of  the 
development  of  the  human  race  that  all  sides  of  contempo- 
rary life  should  be  examined  and  described.  What  I find 
fault  with  in  Zola  is  that  he  did  not  know  the  stratum  of  so- 
ciety which  he  describes  in  Nana  ” at  all  ; and,  as  he  only 
grasped  its  more  superficial  and  prominent  features  and 
coarseness,  he  was  not  able  to  investigate  and  reproduce  the 
internal  connection  of  the  phenomena  ; he  piles  one  deform- 
ity on  another,  and  astonishes  the  reader,  but  does  not  con- 
vince him. 

Passing  from  these  observations  to  Zola’s  means  and  ma- 
terials, I must  observe  that  it  was  impossible  that  he  should 
knov/  the  so-called  demi-monde.  He  leads  a very  retired 
life,  and  only  once  looked  into  the  boudoir  of  a luxurious 
cocotte^  while  she  was  absent,  in  order  to  be  able  to  describe 
her  bedroom.  Ivan  Sergeievitch  told  me  that  he  noticed  at 
a party,  where  the  author  of  “Nana”  was  to  read,  how  his 
friend  became  more  and  more  nervous  and  pale  as  the  num- 
ber of  the  guests  increased,  and  that  he  even  trembled. 
“ What  is  the  matter  with  you,  my  dear  friend  ? ” asked  Tur- 
genieff.  “I  confess,”  answered  Zola,  “that  I have  never  yet 
had  an  opportunity  of  being  in  a circle  of  ladies  in  whose 
presence  one  has  to  be  circumspect.”  Now,  is  it  conceivable 
that  an  author  who  knows  the  world  so  little  should  be  able 
to  describe  the  private  life  of  the  aristocracy,  their  manners, 
their  society,  etc.  ? 

I return  to  “ Virgin  Soil  ” to  observe  that  a similar  igno- 
rance of  the  society  described,  only  in  quite  another  sphere, 
struck  me  in  the  second  part  of  this  novel.  Here  nothing  is 
from  nature,  nothing  is  founded  on  observation  : everything 
is  out  of  his  head,  as  artists  say. 

* ^ 

It  was  in  the  year  1876,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  that  I took 
rooms  in  a small  hotel  in  Paris  belonging  to  a Russian,  W.  I 
do  not  know  whether  he  knew  Ivan  Sergeievitch,  or  wanted 
to  make  his  acquaintance  when  occasion  offered,  but  he  once 
asked  me  if  I was  acquainted  with  Turgenieff.  ‘‘By  name,” 
I said,  “ I have  certainly  known  him  a long  time,  and  have  a 
high  opinion  of  his  works.”  A few  days  afterwards  W. 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF. 


85 


showed  me  a letter.  “ Do  you  know  the  handwriting  ? ” 
“No,  it  is  not  known  to  me.”  “It  is  a letter  from  Turg- 
enieff,  in  which  he  says  that  he  would  be  glad  to  make  your 
acquaintance  ; go  and  see  him  when  you  like.”  I replied 
that  I should  certainly  not  go,  as  I did  not  like  begging  for 
acquaintance  with  celebrated  people. 

* ‘ ❖ 

After  the  Turkish  war  the  painter  Bogoliuboff  remarked 
casually  : “ There  is  a man  who  wants  to  know  you  very 
much  indeed.”  “Who  is  it?”  “ Ivan  Sergeievitch  Turgen- 
ieff.”  I was  heartily  pleased,  and  sent  a request  that  he 
would  visit  me  at  any  time  that  suited  him.  When  this  cher- 
ished guest  came  to  Maisons-Laffitte,  I frankly  confess  that  I 
wanted  to  fall  on  his  neck  and  tell  him  how  deeply  I admired 
and  respected  him.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  I was  obliged  to 
introduce  a friend.  General  S.,  who  was  present,  and  we  only 
exchanged  a few  commonplace,  friendly  words.  Turgenieff 
looked  at  my  work  with  great  interest.  Two  or  three  pict- 
ures of  the  Turkish  war  were  already  begun.  He  was  par- 
ticularly pleased  with  my  picture  of  the  transport  of  the 
wounded,  and  he  gave  a name  to  each  of  the  soldiers  repre- 
sented in  the  picture.  “That  is  Nikifor,  from  Tamboff; 
that  is  Sidoroff,  from  Nijni,”  etc. 

Ivan  Sergeievitch  paid  me  two  more  visits  afterwards, 
and  brought  with  him  his  friend,  Oniegin,  who  visited  the 
author  during  his  last  illness  more  frequently  than  the  rest 
of  us. 

I also  went  to  see  Turgenieff  several  times.  At  the  time 
of  my  first  visit  he  was  suffering  from  gout.  Even  then  the 
attacks  of  the  malady  were  evidently  very  violent,  as  could 
be  seen  from  his  extremely  exhausted  and  weak  appearance 
after  each  attack, 

Turgenieff  treated  his  visitors  with  remarkable  amiabili- 
ty and  kindness  ; inquired  sympathetically,  even  during  his 
illness,  after  the  works  which  were  in  hand,  and  those  which 
were  to  come,  and  spoke  modestly  and  sincerely  about  him- 
self, in  a refined  voice,  and  with  a good-natured  smile  on  his 
face. 

It  rather  seemed  to  me,  and  I think  I was  not  mistaken. 


i86 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


that  after  the  ovations  which  were  given  him  in  Moscow  and 
St.  Petersburg,  Ivan  Sergeievitch  became  a little  more  self- 
conscious.  In  his  letters  he  now  wrote  “ Dear  ” instead  of 
“ Honored,”  but  he  always  remained  friendly  and  ready  to 
aid  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power.  When  I exhibited  my  works 
in  Paris,  he  first  assisted  me  to  find  a place  for  the  exhibition, 
and  then  introduced  me  to  the  Paris  public  by  a few  lines  in 
the  “XIX.  Siecle.” 

He  helped,  moreover,  not  only  with  advice,  but  with  ma- 
terial assistance,  all  who  applied  to  him.  He  gave  money 
to  many  young  men  who  were  forced  to  leave  Russia  and 
“Nihilized,”  as  one  of  them  expressed  it,  in  Paris.  (I  drew 
Ivan  Sergeievitch’s  attention  to  this  characteristic  expression, 
and  he  laughed  heartily  at  it.) 

The  assistance  which  he  gave  to  the  emigrants,  his  free 
and  independent  way  of  thinking,  and,  above  all,  the  publica- 
tion in  the  “ Temps  ” of  the  narrative  of  a youth  who,  owing 
to  a misunderstanding,  spent  four  years  in  prison,  caused 
Turgenieff  to  be  considered  a Red  Republican  in  the  upper 
circles  in  St.  Petersburg.  In  1880  he  took  an  opportunity  of 
telling  me,  with  evident  uneasiness,  that  Prince  Orloff  had 
visited  him  and  brought  him  an  order  to  return  to  Russia. 
I was  sincerely  convinced  that  there  was  nothing  in  it,  and 
that  there  could  be  nothing,  and  told  him  so  with  confidence, 
but  I remember  that  his  anxiety  did  not  disappear.  In  fact, 
nobody  at  St.  Petersburg  molested  him,  and  the  order  he 
had'  received  was  probably  only  intended  as  a warning. 

❖ 

* 

The  fact  that  Turgenieff  was  intending  to  write  a great 
novel,  and  had  already  begun  it,  I first  learned  from  his 
friend,  the  well-known  German  critic  Pietsch,  and  afterwards 
from  himself  ; after  his  death  I was  told  that  he  had 
sketched  a novel  which  treated  of  the  intellectual  movement 
among  the  Russian  youth  of  modern  times.  Its  purport  was 
said  to  be  as  follows  : A cultivated  young  Russian  lady  be- 
comes acquainted  in  Paris  with  a young  Frenchman,  a Radi- 
cal, and  is  intimate  with  him,  but  afterwards  leaves  him  to 
join  a representative  of  Russian  Radicalism,  whose  views  and 
convictions  are  opposed  to  those  which  the  Frenchman  holds 
on  the  same  questions. 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF. 


187 


Judging  from  his  last  works,  not  excepting  ‘‘  Clara  Mil- 
itch,”  one  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  talent  of  the 
author  of  “ Fathers  and  Sons  ” can  hardly  have  risen  to  its 
former  height.  Certainly  even  in  his  last  works  we  meet 
with  many  beautiful  thoughts  and  masterly  sketches,  but  as 
a rule  his  characters  no  longer  have  their  former  quiet  attract- 
iveness nor  their  former  freshness  and  life. 

The  impression  left  by  his  smaller  works,  e.  g.,  by  the 
“ Poems  in  Prose,”  is  for  the  most  part  a depressing  one. 
They  constantly  remind  me  of  the  phrase  with  which  he  once 
answered  me  when  I asked  how  he  was  : “ I am  beginning 
to  feel  the  gloom  of  death.” 

Even  such  reminiscences  as  the  story  of  “ Mishka  ” are, 
as  far  as  type  of  characters  go,  far  behind  “ The  Sportsman’s 
Diary.”  The  former  tale  (“Mishka”)  I heard  from  the 
author’s  lips,  and  it  then  made  an  incomparably  greater  im- 
pression upon  me  than  when  I read  it  later. 

I knew  that  TurgenielT  recited  well,  but  latterly  he  was 
always  tired,  began  to  speak  lazily  and  against  the  grain,  and 
only  grew  slightly  more  lively  when  he  threw  himself  into  his 
part.  On  this  occasion,  when,  in  reciting  the  story  of 
“ Mishka,”  he  came  to  the  passage  where  Mishka  leads  a 
whole  company  of  dancing  beggars,  Ivan  Sergeievitch  got  up 
briskly  from  his  chair,  made  gestures  with  his  hands,  and 
began  to  dance  a Russian  trepak — and  how  he  did  dance  it  ! 
He  bent  his  knees  and  sang,  “ Tra-ta-ta-ta-ta  ! Tra-ta-ta  ! ” 
He  seemed  forty  years  younger  as  he  bent  himself  ; and  how 
he  moved  his  shoulders  this  way  and  that  ! His  gray  locks 
fell  over  his  face,  which  was  rosy,  beaming,  and  happy.  I 
was  delighted  with  him,  and  could  not  refrain  from  clapping 
my  hands  and  calling  out,  “ Bravo  ! Bravo  ! Bravo  ! ” He 
did  not  seem  in  the  least  tired,  for  as  long  as  I sat  with  him 
he  continued  his  lively  recitation.  And  yet  that  was  shortly 
before  disease  clutched  him  in  its  claws,  as  he  expressed  it. 
Now,  when  I know  that  already  at  that  time  two  vertebrae 
were  attacked  by  cancer,  I cannot  think  of  that  hour  without 
astonishment. 

* 

I was  myself  suffering  from  a severe  attack  of  illness  in 
the  spring  of  1882,  when  I learned  that  Turgenieff  was  seri- 
ously ill.  As  soon  as  I could  get  up,  at  the  beginning  of  the 


i88 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


summer,  I drove  to  see  him.  I called  out  to  him  from  the 
stairs.  “ What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ? How  can  anybody 
be  ill  so  long  ? ” Entering  the  room,  I saw  the  same  kindly 
smile  and  heard  the  same  refined  voice.  “ What  is  to  be 
done  ? Sickness  holds  me  fast,  and  will  not  let  me  go.” 
There  was  no  decided  change  in  Ivan  Sergeievitch  since  the 
day  I had  seen  him  dance,  and  that  misled  me  : I was  firmly 
convinced  that  he  would  recover,  and  told  everybody  so  who 
asked  me. 

Turgenieff  was  very  lively,  and  although  he  complained 
of  constant  and  very  severe  neuralgic  pains  in  his  chest  and 
back,  yet  he  begged  me  to  stay  with  him,  told  stories  with 
animation,  raising  himself  up  in  bed  and  laughing  a great 
deal.  Among  other  things,  we  talked  of  literature  and  his 
own  writings.  Ivan  Sergeievitch  expressed  his  great  respect 
for  Leon  Tolstoi’s  talent,  but  added  : “ What  Tolstoi  lacks 
is  poetry  : it  is  completely  wanting  in  his  productions.”  I 
did  not  refrain  from  expressing  my  opinion,  which  was  the 
reverse  of  his,  and  mentioned  as  examples  the  highly  poetical 
creations  of  “ The  Cossacks,”  “ Polikushka,”  and  others. 
Turgenieff  seemed  to  keep  to  his  own  opinion,  but  did  not 
discuss  it  further. 

Lavroff,  a well-known  character,  who  had  been  lately 
banished  from  France,  was  in  the  room  when  I came  to 
pay  my  visit.  When  he  had  taken  his  departure,  Turgenieff 
asked  me  not  to  tell  anybody  that  I had  seen  Lavroff,  and 
told  me  a curious  little  piece  of  French  administration.  L. 
was  banished  from  France,  but,  after  much  protesting,  the 
prefect  of  police  summoned  Turgenieff  and  asked  him  about 
L.  Turgenieff  could  only  tell  him  that  L.  was  the  most 
harmless  of  men,  although  an  idealist  who  was  easily  carried 
away.  ‘‘  We  believe  you,”  said  the  prefect,  and  L.  received 
secret  permission  to  come  to  France,  one  might  almost  say 
through  Turgenieff ’s  mediation. 

❖ 

* Hs 

I still  believe  to-day,  as  I did  then  in  talking  to  Turgenieff’ 
that  he  was  wrong  in  assigning  himself  a too  modest  place 
among  Russian  authors.  Bielinski,  to  be  sure,  did  not  think 
highly  of  him  ; but  that  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
Turgenieff  had  not  then  attained  maturity  and  had  too  much 
scientific  cultivation  for  a Russian  genius  ; while  Bielinski, 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF. 


189 


who  well  knew  the  want  of  finish  in  the  native  diamonds,  did 
not  quite  understand  the  combination  in  one  person  of  a lit- 
erary genius  of  the  first  rank  and  a serious  Hegelian.  In 
cultivation  Turgenieff  certainly  stood  above  all  our  authors. 
As  regards  power,  he  is  perhaps  behind  some  others  ; but  in 
the  fullness  and  loftiness  of  his  creative  genius  he  ranks  next 
to  Pushkin  and  Leon  Tolstoi.  The  plot  of  a story — a matter 
which  many  think  unimportant,  but  which,  in  my  opinion,  is 
the  most  difficult  part  of  the  work  of  creation,  and  in  which 
but  few  succeed — is  almost  always  good  in  Turgenieff.  It 
seems  easier  to  sketch  characters  than  to  make  them  act 
according  to  life,  and  die  naturally.  Gogol,  for  instance,  has 
a great  gift  for  delineating  character,  but  is  weak  in  invent- 
ing plots  ; and  expressive  as  a large  number  of  his  characters 
appear  when  taken  singly,  the  whole  course  of  the  action  is 
correspondingly  weak  ; only  children  and  half-educated  peo- 
ple can  treat  seriously  the  story  of  the  “Dead  Souls  ” which 
are  to  be  transported  to  the  government  of  Chersson  or  some 
other  country,  or  the  deeds  of  “ Revisor,”  &c.  Moreover, 
the  fact  must  not  be  disregarded  that  such  talent,  if  we 
take  the  above-mentioned  Gogol  as  an  example,  is  one-sided  : 
by  the  side  of  a negative  type  of  character,  which  is  strik- 
ingly powerful  and  true  to  nature,  he  places  a positive  type 
which  is  absolutely  false  and  perfectly  worthless. 

With  Turgenieff  it  is  different.  To  be  just  it  must  be 
confessed  that  the  characters  in  the  “ Diary  of  a Sportsman,” 
though  they  show  great  penetration,  nevertheless  rank  lower 
than  those  astonishing  characters  of  Gogol’s  ; but  they  live 
and  act  in  a rational  manner — no  invisible  power  forces  them 
into  actions  and  vaudeville  intrigues,  which  are  repugnant 
to  a healthy  human  understanding.  Further,  Turgenieff,  as 
has  been  said  before,  is  successful  not  only  with  this  or  that 
favorite  type  of  character,  but  all  his  personages,  insipid  and 
sensible,  clever  and  stupid,  fathers  and  children — all  are 
equally  true,  and  defined  with  equal  clearness. 

I repeat — in  the  completeness  and  the  elevation  of  his  gen- 
ius he  has,  in  my  opinion,  very  few  equals  besides  Pushkin  and 
Leon  Tolstoi  ; none  perhaps,  except  Lermontoff,  in  his  prose. 
The  characters  in  the  latter's  poems  are  indistinct  and  not 
natural. 

But  let  us  return  to  Turgenieffs  illness.  During  the  last 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


190 

visit  I paid  him  (the  one  mentioned  above)  he  complained 
sadly  that  he  could  not  travel  to  Russia.  “ Why,”  1 asked, 
“ do  you  want  to  go  to  Russia  now  ? You  ought  first  to  get 
well,  quite  well,  here.”  Quite  true,  but  there  I could  go 
on  with  my  work  ; I have  something  in  my  head  which  can 
only  be  written  there.”  He  shook  his  head  significantly. 

Turgenieff  was  ill  all  through  the  autumn  and  winter.  I 
had  no  opportunity  of  speaking  to  any  of  the  doctors  who 
were  attending  him,  and  thought  that  his  illness  was  not 
fatal. 

Once,  when  I was  in  Rue  de  Douai,  I wrote  a few  words 
asking  about  his  state,  and  sent  the  note  up  to  him  ; but  the 
servant  brought  it  back.  M.  Turgenieff  was  lying  down, 
and  was  unable  to  read.  The  blinds  were  drawn  down.  He 
asked  for  my  name.  I understood  that  his  condition  was 
serious,  and  went  away  so  as  not  to  disturb  him. 

On  my  return  from  my  second  tour  in  India  I inquired 
again.  He  was  very  ill,  and  no  one  was  admitted.  When 
I came  back  from  Moscow  I met  Oniegin,  whom  I have 
mentioned  before,  and  learnt  from  him  that  not  only  Ivan 
Sergeievitch’s  months  but  his  days  were  numbered.  I drove 
to  Bougival,  where  he  then  was.  On  the  way,  his  figure  as 
it  had  formerly  been  rose  up  before  my  eyes  ; but  when  I 
entered  the  room,  intending  to  begin  the  conversation  with 
a joke  as  of  old,  the  words  stuck  in  my  throat.  On  the 
couch,  his  body  contorted  with  suffering,  lay  Turgenieff,  but 
apparently  not  the  one  I had  known,  not  the  majestic  figure 
with  the  beautiful  head,  but  a little  man,  emaciated,  as  yel- 
low as  wax,  with  sunken  eyes,  and  sad,  lifeless  expression. 

He  seemed  to  perceive  the  painful  impression  he  made,  and 
immediately  began  to  talk  of  dying,  saying  that  there  was  no 
hope,  etc.  “ We  two,”  he  added,  “ are  different  in  character. 
I was  always  weak  ; you  are  strong  and  decided.”  Tears 
came  into  my  eyes  ; I tried  to  contradict  him,  but  Ivan  Ser- 
geievitch  interrupted  me  irritably:  “For  God’s  sake,  leave 
off  trying  to  console  me,  Vassily  Vassilievitch  : I am  not 
a child,  and  can  estimate  my  position.  My  malady  is 
incurable  ; I suffer  to  such  an  extent  that  I call  upon 
death  a hundred  times  a day.  I do  not  fear  parting  from 
life,  and  regret  nothing  ; one  or  two  friends,  whom  one 
does  not  exactly  love,  but  to  whom  one  has  grown  accus- 
tomed  ” 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF. 


I9I 

I took  up  his  tone  a little  ; but  when  I admitted  that  he 
had  got  worse,  I heard  Oniegin,  who  was  present,  hastily 
correct  me — “ How  could  one  help  looking  worse  after  such 
a long  illness  ? ” I comprehended  that  caution  was  to  be 
used,  and  maintained  that  where  there  was  no  directly  fatal 
disease  death  was  not  unavoidable,  and  that  he  was  not  yet 
of  the  age  when  one  must  die.  “ You  are  only  sixty-five, 
are  you  ? ” ‘‘  Sixty-four,”  he  corrected  me,  and  began  again 

to  oppose  what  I said,  but  received  my  words  of  consolation 
more  calmly  ; one  could  see  that  they  were  not  unpleasant 
to  him,  and  that  he  himself  had  still  some  hope. 

He  asked  me  about  my  work,  where  I was,  and  where  I 
intended  to  travel.  I told  him  that  I was  going  to  take  the 
waters,  and  should  reappear  again  in  a month — “ I give  you 
a month’s  respite  ; if  you  do  not  recover  in  that  time,  beware  : 
you  will  have  to  reckon  with  me.”  Ivan  Sergei evitch  smiled 
at  this  threat.  “ If  you  come  in  a month,  in  three  or  six 
months,  you  will  still  find  me  in  the  same  condition.” 

I took  the  liberty  of  warning  him  against  the  frequent  use 
of  morphia  ; if  narcotics  were  absolutely  necessary,  he  should 
at  any  rate  use  it  alternately  with  chloral.  “ I should  be  very 
glad  ; but  what  is  to  be  done  ? When  the  pains  are  excru- 
ciating one  is  ready  to  take  anything  in  the  world  to  lessen 
them.” 

That  day  Turgenieff  was  dressed,  as  he  had  tried  a drive  ; 
but  driving  over  paved  streets  tired  him.  He  soon  came  back, 
and  was  then  intending  to  retire  to  his  bed.  That  was  the 
last  time  he  went  out  of  the  house. 

Oniegin,  with  whom  I went  away,  told  me  as  we  went, 
“ Turgenieff  does  not  know  that  he  will  not  live  even  as  long 
as  he  says.  I have  heard  from  Doctor  Bielogolofy  that  all 
his  blood-vessels  are  giving  way.” 

❖ ❖ 

About  a month  later  I returned.  Ivan  Sergeievitch  lay 
in  his  bed.  He  had  grown  yellower  and  more  withered  ; 
there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  dying.  I had  read  in  the 
Russian  papers  that  he  was  better  and  drove  out,  and  in  that 
belief  I went  to  him. 

He  introduced  me  to  his  old  friend  Toporoff,  who  was 
sitting  by  his  bedside.  “You  are  better,  I hear?  You 
take  drives?” 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


192 


‘‘  Oh,”  groaned  the  sick  man,  “ what  kind  of  improvement 
is  this,  and  how  can  I,  chained  to  my  bed,  think  of  drives  ? 
Who  told  you  that  ?”  ‘‘I  read  it  in  the  paper.”  “Can  one 
believe  what  the  papers  say  ? See  how  I look  ! ” 

“ I know,”  he  began,  when  we  were  alone,  “ that  I shall 
not  live  to  see  the  New  Year.”  “ How  do  you  know  that  ? ” 
“ I see  it  in  everything,  feel  it  myself,  and  gather  it  from  the 
doctor’s  words  also  ; they  intimate  that  I should  put  my 
affairs  in  order.”  It  seemed  odd  to  me  that  the  doctors,  who, 
as  far  as  I knew,  constantly  gave  him  hopes,  as  well  as  all 
those  around  him,  should  say  that  to  him.  Turgenieff  did 
not  make  that  remark  without  cause,  as  I learnt  later. 

I was  just  going  to  reply  to  him  with  “What  can  we  do  ? 

We  must  all  come  to  that ” but  when  I saw  how  his  dying 

eyes  looked  penetratingly  at  me  awaiting  my  answer  I sup- 
pressed these  words  and  said,  “ Even  doctors  can  be  mis- 
taken.” I quoted  Count  Chambord  as  an  example,  to  whom 
the  doctors  foretold  a certain  death,  and  whose  condition 
improved — an  example  which  was,  to  be  sure,  a very  unfor- 
tunate one,  as  Count  Chambord  actually  did  die  soon  after- 
wards. Turgenieff,  however,  listened  attentively  : one  could 
see  that  he  had  by  no  means  lost  all  hope,  and  that  he  wished 
others  should  hope  also.  He  regretted  that  he  had  not  been 
able  to  do  all  that  was  necessary.  “ You  say  you  have 
not  done  anything  ? ” “ Not  that — you  do  not  understand 

me  : I am  speaking  of  my  affairs,  which  I did  not  put  in 
order  at  the  right  time.  ” “ But  that  can  be  easily  remedied.” 

“ No,  that  is  impossible.  My  estate,”  he  continued  in  a low 
voice,  “ has  not  yet  been  sold.  I have  always  been  meaning 
to  sell  it,  but  was  always  undecided  and  put  it  off.”  Of 
course  it  was  hard  for  you  to  part  with  it.”  “ Yes,  it  was 
hard  ; but  if  I die  now  the  estate  will  go  to  God  knows 
whom,”  and  he  shook  his  head  sadly. 

I thought  he  was  troubled  about  his  daughter  whom  I 
had  once  met  at  his  house  and  become  acquainted  with.  She 
is  a pretty  woman,  a brunette,  very  like  her  father,  and  mar- 
ried to  a Frenchman,  whose  circumstances  had  not  been  very 
brilliant  latterly.  As  I learned  afterwards,  hov/ever,  he  was 
troubled  because  it  was  not  possible  for  him  to  bestow  all 
his  property  on  the  person  for  whom  he  had  cherished  a 
special  affection  all  his  life. 

Ivan  Sergeievitch  inquired  with  the  greatest  interest 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF. 


193 


about  my  family,  my  wife,  my  late  parents,  and  my  brothers. 
At  the  beginning  of  our  conversation  he  asked  his  attendant, 
Madame  Arnold,  to  make  an  injection  of  morphia.  She  did 
it,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  not  have  breakfast.  ‘‘  What  is 
there?”  ‘‘Salmon.”  He  seemed  to  consider,  raised  his 
hand  to  his  head,  and  thought  a long  time. 

“ Well,  give  me  some  salmon,  at  any  rate,  and  some  soft- 
boiled  eggs.”  One  could  see  that  he  still  had  some  appetite. 
“ How  is  your  digestion  ? ” “I  digest  nothing,  so  I will  eat 
this  salmon  and  take  the  consequences.” 

I again  spoke  of  morphia  and  begged  him  not  to  inject 
too  much.  “ It  does  not  matter,”  he  said  ; “ my  complaint  is 
incurable,  I know.”  After  mentioning  the  scientific  name  of 
his  complaint,  he  added  : “ Take  a medical  dictionary  : look 
it  up.  There  you  will  find  it  put  down  in  plain  terms  as 
‘ incurable.’  ” 

“ In  a week’s  time  I shall  pay  you  another  visit.”  “ Come  ; 
but  take  care  : if  you  come  in  two  weeks’  time  they  will  be 
carrying  me  out  feet  foremost.” 

As  I left  him  I held  up  my  finger  threateningly  and  called 
out,  “ Beware  of  too  much  morphia.”  With  a smile  he 
nodded  his  head  in  sign  of  agreement,  and  followed  me  with 
a sad  look,  which  stayed  in  my  memory.  It  happened  as  he 
said  : almost  exactly  two  weeks  later  he  was  a corpse. 

And  how  much  he  wished  to  live  ! 

The  impression  I received  from  my  last  visit  was  so  sad 
that  I went  again  in  four  days. 

It  was  afternoon,  and  Ivan  Sergeievitch  was  asleep,  hav- 
ing just  had  an  injection  of  morphia.  I sat  in  the  next  room, 
a modest,  comfortable  apartment  arranged  in  bachelor  fash- 
ion— a writing-table,  a Turkish  divan,  many  pictures  on  the 
walls,  chiefly  by  Russian  artists,  and  a not  particularly  suc- 
cessful portrait  of  Turgenieff  himself. 

I conversed  with  Madame  Arnold,  who  had  taken  care  of 
the  invalid  for  a long  time.  She  said  that  they  still  hoped 
for  his  recovery,  that  the  doctors  had  different  opinions  about 
the  disease,  and  that  she  personally  was  made  most  uneasy 
by  the  fact  that  the  gout  had  totally  disappeared  from  the 
feet,  and  consequently  must  have  gone  higher.  I had  heard 
the  patient  himself  talk  about  that  even  at  the  beginning  of 


194 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


his  illness  ; he  said  plainly  that  he  felt  the  gout  already  in 
the  region  of  the  heart.  At  my  last  visit  he  said,  complain- 
ing of  the  diminution  of  his  strength,  ‘‘  If  you  were  only  to 
see  my  feet — just  look — nothing  but  bones.”  I decided  not 
to  look,  for  my  late  father  came  into  my  mind,  whose  feet 
had  completely  withered  before  his  death.  Madame  Arnold 
declared  that  nobody  had  ever  advised  Turgenieff  to  arrange 
his  affairs,  and  that  it  was  only  a stratagem  on  his  part  to 
discover  my  opinion  of  his  condition,  because  he  suspected 
that  the  people  round  him  had  agreed  to  soothe  him  by  con- 
cealing the  truth.  However,  it  is  improbable  that  his  regret 
was  quite  unfounded  ; he  had  probably  been  urged  by  some- 
body or  other  to  arrange  his  affairs  more  quickly.  Madame 
Arnold  also  told  me  that  many  Paris  celebrities  visited  Ivan 
Sergeievitch,  among  others  Emil  Augier.  “ C’est  un  auteur 
dramatique  tres-connu,”  she  added  by  way  of  explanation  ; 
‘‘he  came  lately  to  read  a new  piece.” 

I will  here  mention  that  I seldom  heard  Turgenieff 
express  an  opinion  about  either  past  or  present  celebrities. 
He  once  spoke  of  A.  S.  Pushkin  in  a very  reverent  and  seri- 
ous tone  ; the  expression  of  his  face  at  that  moment  was  very 
like  the  portrait  which  is  prefixed  to  the  complete  edition  of 
his  works  ; he  wrinkled  his  brow  and  raised  his  fore-finger 
significantly.  I remember,  among  other  things,  his  telling 
me  a story  about  Victor  Hugo,  which  shows  that  the  poet 
was  not  very  well  read — “ We  were  talking  of  Goethe  ; Hugo 
disagreed  with  me,  and  attacked  Goethe  for  his  ‘ Wallen- 
stein.’ ‘But,  Maitre,’  I said,  ‘“Wallenstein”  was  not  writ- 
ten by  Goethe,  but  by  Schiller.’  ‘Oh,  well,  it's  all  the 
same,’  answered  Hugo,  and  began  to  talk  at  random,  to  con- 
ceal his  mistake.” 

Madame  Arnold  also  told  me  that  Turgenieff  was  much 
agitated  by  a letter  which  he  wrote  from  his  deathbed  to 
Leon  Tolstoi,  begging  him  not  to  lay  down  his  pen,  but  to 
continue  to  use  it  in  the  service  of  his  country — “ I was  sit- 
ting by  the  table  when  he  called  me  ; he  gave  me  a piece  of 
paper  on  which  he  had  written  in  pencil,  and  said  : ‘ Please 
send  this  off  at  once  : it  is  very,  very  urgent.’  ” 

Hi 

I was  laid  up  by  a very  violent  cold,  and  went  into  hos- 


I.  S.  TURGENIEFF.  I95 

pital,  so  that  I was  not  able  to  drive  to  Bougival  for  eight  or 
ten  clays. 

“ M.  Turgenieff  is  very  ill,”  the  concierge  said  as  I 
entered  the  house  ; ‘‘  the  doctor  has  just  gone  ; he  thought 
my  master  would  not  live  through  the  day.”  Was  it  possi- 
ble ? I went  quickly  into  the  little  house— not  a soul  any- 
where ; I went  up  the  stairs — no  one  there  either.  The 
whole  Viardot  family  were  sitting  in  their  room  ; there  was 
also  a Russian  there — Prince  Meshtchersky,  who  sometimes 
visited  Turgenieff,  and  had  been  sitting  by  him  for  the  last 
three  days  with  the  Viardots.  They  came  round  me  and 
told  me  that  the  invalid  was  hopelessly  ill  and  that  the  end 
was  not  far  off. 

Go  and  see  him.”  “ No,  I will  not  disturb  him.” 
“ You  will  not  disturb  him,  for  he  lies  in  the  death-agony.” 
I entered  the  room.  Ivan  Sergeievitch  lay  on  his  back,  his 
arms  stretched  out  and  pressed  close  to  his  body,  his  eyes 
almost  closed,  his  mouth  terribly  wide  open  ; and  his  head, 
sunk  far  back,  a little  tunnel  to  the  left,  rose  at  each  breath  ; 
something  evidently  was  choking  the  sick  man  ; he  wanted 
something  ; he  could  not  breathe.  I could  not  bear  the 
sight,  and  burst  into  tears. 

The  death  struggle  had  begun  some  hours  before  ; the 
end  seemed  near.  The  other  members  of  the  household 
went  to  breakfast,  and  I remained  by  the  bedside  with 
Madame  Arnold,  who  constantly  moistened  the  sick  man’s 
dry  tongue. 

The  sitting-room  wore  a desolate  aspect  ; a servant  was 
bustling  about  the  room,  dusting  and  sweeping  without 
pity,  and  talking  loudly  with  the  other  servants  as  they  went 
to  and  fro.  One  could  see  that  there  was  no  longer  any 
reason  for  consideration. 

In  a low  voice  Madame  Arnold  told  me  that  Turgenieff 
had  taken  leave  of  everybody  the  evening  before,  and  imme- 
diately after  began  to  wander.  I had  already  heard  from 
Meshtchersky  that  the  delirium  probably  came  on  when  Ivan 
Sergeievitch  began  to  talk  Russian.  Nobody,  of  course, 
among  those  round  him  understood  him,  and  they  all  asked, 
Qu’est-ce  qu’il  dit  ? ” “Farewell,  my  dear  ones,”  mur- 
mured Turgenieff.  “My ” “I  cannot  at  all  under- 

stand that  last  expression,”  observed  Meshtchersky  ; “ it 
seems  to  me  as  if  Ivan  Sergeievitch  thought  himself  a Rus- 


ig6 


VERESTCHAGIN. 


sian  paterfamilias  taking  leave  of  his  family  and  house- 
hold.” _ 

Twice  a sad  moan  came  from  Turgenieff’s  lips  ; he 
turned  his  head  a little  and  moved  it  straight  His  hands 
did  not  stir  once  during  a whole  hour.  His  breathing 
became  slower  and  weaker,  I intended  to  stay  till  the  last 
moment,  but  Meshtchersky  begged  me  in  the  name  of  the 
Viardot  family  to  go  to  Doctor  Brouardel  and  tell  him  what 
I had  seen,  or,  in  the  event  of  his  absence,  to  leave  a letter 
describing  the  patient’s  condition.  I took  the  letter,  and 
touched  for  the  last  time  Ivan  Sergeievitch’s  hand,  which 
was  already  growing  cold. 

❖ 

Hi  Hi 

An  hour  later  Turgenieff  was  dead. 

Not  finding  Doctor  Brouardel  at  home,  I left  the  letter 
for  him ; the  doctor  did  not  come  till  the  third  day.  I tele- 
graphed to  two  intimate  acquaintances  of  the  deceased, 
Oniegin  and  Prince  Orloff.  I wished  also  to  send  the  news 
to  our  distant  home ; but  as  I could  not  count  myself 
among  the  friends  of  the  deceased,  I did  not  think  I was 
justified  in  sending  news  of  this  national  grief  in  my  own 
name. 


GETTY  CENTER  LIBRARY 


